Nadiya Bychkova reveals she is stepping away from dating apps

Nadiya Bychkova is stepping away from dating apps.

The 36-year-old Strictly Come Dancing professional has been single since her split with fellow dancer Kai Widdrington and she has now told guests at a central London launch party she prefers real-world connections to swiping for potential new partners.

Nadiya said on Thursday (18.09.25) at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, where she was attending the launch of Neer, a new social networking platform aimed at Generation Z and millennials: “I think it’s better that people have conversations with each other rather than just being on your phones swiping left and right. I know we have busy lives but it’s really important.”

She also admitted her packed schedule leaves little space for romance.

Nadiya added: “I can’t wait for Strictly to finally start and for people to start watching, I’ve had fans from January asking when the show is on, so it’s time now.

“But I don’t even have time to sleep because I’m practicing.”

Despite rehearsals for the new Strictly series, which begins on Saturday (20.09.25), she joined celebrities, influencers and entrepreneurs at the Thursday event.

Dressed in a deep red body-con gown by Vanity Nap, Nadiya was signed up on the Neer app by the company’s chief operating officer, Samson Tausig.

The app, founded by Professor Michael Atar, has already received thousands of applications and is currently approval-only.

It has been dubbed a “Gen Z Raya”, though it is designed to encourage in-person meetings rather than online dating.

Guests at the launch sampled cocktails from Ghost Labs and premium El Rayo Tequila, while a Neer photo-booth captured the night’s highlights.

Among those attending were artists Phebe Cameron and Abigail Cameron, singer Lozeak, model Charli Fisher and influencer Jonathan Vine.

Neer’s team said the platform’s mission is to create safe, curated public spaces for people to connect. They emphasised its safety features, including multiple verification and security processes to give young people confidence when meeting offline.