Pasha Kovalev

Kovalev announced his appearance at Dancing With The Stars Weekend Friday 24th – Sunday 26th April 2020 at Celtic Manor Resort Hotel.

Kovalev started dating his former Strictly partner Rachel Riley in 2014, and the couple now live together in London. In May 2019, Riley and Kovalev announced via social media that they were expecting their first child in December. The couple subsequently married in Las Vegas on 28 June 2019. Their daughter, Maven Aria Riley Kovalev, was born on 15 December 2019.

For series fifteen Kovalev was paired with British actress Chizzy Akudolu. They were the first couple eliminated after losing to Brian Conley and Amy Dowden in the first dance-off of the series, on 1 October 2017.

The full line-up of the 2017 Christmas special, which features six returning contestants and their professional partners, was announced on 6 November 2017. Kovalev was partnered with ex-partner and Series 10 runner-up Kimberley Walsh and danced the Jive to "Run Rudolph Run". The pair earned 39 points from the judges, the highest score of the night, but lost to newscaster Katie Derham.

In 2016, Kovalev was partnered with Olympic champion rower Helen Glover for the Strictly Come Dancing Children in Need Strictly Special, taking place on 18 November.

The celebrity lineup of the 2016 Christmas special, which like the previous year, featured six returning contestants, was announced on 7 November 2016. Kovalev was partnered with New Zealand writer and actress Pamela Stephenson, and danced the Cha-Cha to "Jump" from the "Love Actually" soundtrack. The pair earned 39 points from the judges but lost to comedian Melvin Odoom.

Kovalev announced his 2016 It's All About You tour, including 74 shows from 18 March to 12 June. Professional partner Anya Garnis guest starred once again.

For the Thirteenth series of the show in 2015, Kovalev returned as the reigning Strictly champion, and was paired up with BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood.

In December 2015, the full lineup of the 2015 Christmas special featured six returning contestants, including four former champions, in a change to recent tradition. Kovalev was partnered with television and radio presenter Lisa Snowdon, who finished in third place in the sixth series of the show. The pair earned 37 points from the judges for a Quickstep to "Let It Snow!", but eventually lost to series 9 winner Harry Judd.

Beginning March 2015, Kovalev performed throughout Britain, with original partner Anya Garnis as his special guest, on his Life Through Dance Tour.

Finally, on 16 July 2014, Kovalev returned with Garnis to choreograph a new Jive routine for contestants Bridget Whitman and Emilio Dosal during Season 11.

For the twelfth series of the show in 2014, it was announced that Kovalev would partner former The Xtra Factor presenter, Caroline Flack.

The couple earned the first perfect 40 of the series for their salsa in the semi-finals, followed by an additional 3 in the finals giving them a perfect total of 120 points, a feat unmatched in the history of the competition. On 20 December 2014, the couple were crowned the champions of the series.

The pair matched Kovalev's previous record, set in 2014 with his former partner Series 14 winner Caroline Flack, of scoring perfect 40s for all three dances in the final. They also set the records of achieving the most 40s during a series, with five, as well as the highest average score in the history of the series with 36.94.

In 2014, during a Paralympian special for Sport Relief 2014, Kovalev was partnered with Paralympic gold medalist Hannah Cockroft. After performing a group dance with the other contestants, the couple was declared the winners by the judges.

He didn't take part in the 2014 Tour with partner Rachel Riley, and the following year, he opted to focus on his own tour, with Tristan MacManus stepping in to partner with Caroline Flack during the 2015 Tour.

On 4 January 2013, Kovalev guest starred in the music video of "One Day I'll Fly Away", the lead single of Centre Stage, his series 10 partner Kimberley Walsh's first solo album. Filming occurred on 4 January 2013 at Pinewood Studios, and the music video premiered on 17 January 2013. It features Walsh performing the song in different settings, until she is joined by Kovalev and they perform a ballet number.

In March 2013, ahead of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2013, comedian Miranda Hart took part in a Strictly Extravaganza, where she attempted to dance ballroom with Kovalev, as one of her five Miranda's Mad March challenges.

In December 2013, Kovalev was partnered with West End star Elaine Paige during the 2013 Strictly Christmas Special. The couple received a total of 39 points for their Cha-Cha, the highest score of the night, with only judge Len Goodman giving them a 9. They ultimately lost to comedian Rufus Hound after a vote by the studio audience.

Kovalev took part in the Strictly Come Dancing Live! 2012 Tour with his celebrity partner Chelsee Healey from 20 January to 26 February, and was partnered with Series 10 finalist Dani Harmer on the 2013 Tour, starting 18 January 2013.

The couple reprised the tour in 2013, and finally in 2014.

On 23 March 2012, Kovalev and his Strictly Series 9 partner Chelsee Healey took part in the Sport Relief 2012 Strictly Come Dancing Underwater special, in aid of Sport Relief, competing against winners Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani. After receiving even scores from the judges, the pair won the show due to head judge Len Goodman breaking the tie in their favour.

In December 2012, Kovalev and Healey were partnered again for a Strictly Allstar group dance during the 2012 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.

Kovalev formed a new professional partnership with fellow Strictly professional Katya Virshilas. With their show An evening with Katya and Pasha they toured the UK from 27 March to 6 May 2012.

In 2011, Kovalev moved to the United Kingdom to take part in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer. After finishing runner-up on both the ninth and tenth series with celebrity partners Chelsee Healey and Kimberley Walsh, he went on to win series twelve with his partner Caroline Flack. Despite facing backlash over her past dance experience and landing in the bottom two three times, he and his celebrity partner, Ashley Roberts, later became runners-up on the sixteenth series of the show. They currently hold the record of the highest average for any celebrity on the show – with an average of 36.9 – and another record for scoring the most perfect scores – with a total of five. Kovalev announced that 2018 was his final series on the show as he had decided to "find a new challenge" after "eight incredible years".

In September 2011, Kovalev joined BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as the new professional dancer of its ninth series, replacing Jared Murillo who had left after only one series with the BBC programme. He has since reached the finals three out of five series, finishing runner-up on his first and second series, and winning on his fourth.

On 18 November 2011, Kovalev took part in a Strictly BBC Newsreaders programme benefiting Children in Need, where he partnered with newsreader Emily Maitlis for a group dance.

In early 2010, the pair guest-choreographed for the third season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

Later in 2010, the pair joined the touring company of the show from 7 September to 28 November. Kovalev left the show in the summer of 2011 to join the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

In early 2009 he again performed with Garnis on the international dance show Superstars of Dance, representing Russia in the duet category, but they were then replaced by another couple in the 19 January episode.

In August 2009, Kovalev and his partner Garnis joined the cast of Jason Gilkison's production Burn the Floor, one of the leading ballroom based shows in the world, during its stint on Broadway. The pair succeed departing Dancing with the Stars performers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff.

In 2008, Kovalev and Garnis appeared on the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars in a results show performance, dancing to "Come On Over" by Jessica Simpson.

In 2007, Kovalev and Garnis auditioned for season 3 of the US reality show So You Think You Can Dance. Garnis made it to the Top 12 stage, whereas Kovalev made it all the way to the Semi-Finals. The pair have since participated in all following seasons as either choreographers or as All-Stars.

Although originally he only attended the audition to support Anya Garnis, he was asked to audition as well and together with Garnis became one of the 20 dancers chosen to compete in the show's third season from June to August 2007.

In 2007, Kovalev headlined the So You Think You Can Dance Season 3 Live Tour, along with the other Top 10 contestants, visiting 50 cities in the United States.

After moving to the US, Kovalev and Garnis turned professional and from 2002 started competing in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Their competitive achievements include being finalists in the US Open from 2002 to 2006.

Kovalev started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2001, moved to the United States with his professional dance partner Anya Garnis. In 2007, the couple competed on the third season of the American version of So You Think You Can Dance, and have since participated in the eight subsequent seasons as either choreographers or All-Star partners to the contestants.

Kovalev was raised by his mother and grew up with his brother. He began dancing at the age of eight, and until 2000, he competed with his partner Anya Garnis in the Amateur Latin category in Russia.

Kovalev and professional partner Anya Garnis started dating as teenagers in the late 1990s, after meeting in dance class in Siberia. In 2001, the couple moved to the United States together.

Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev (Russian: Па́вел "Па́ша" Ковалёв ; born 19 January 1980) is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer.