Luba Mushtuk, a Strictly Come Dancing professional, has officially become a British citizen!
The 34-year-old dancer is Russian and was born in Saint Petersburg.
Luba, who joined the Strictly family in 2018, has quickly become a fan favourite, with celebrity partners like James Cracknell and Jake Wood for a Christmas special.
She’s excited to celebrate her British citizenship now that it’s been verified.
Luba posted images of herself inside Camden Town Hall on social media, beaming happily as she carried her diploma.
The choreographer wore an all-black ensemble and wore her blonde hair in a neat haircut.
Her caption read: ‘She is a British Citizen 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 Special 🫶🏼’
Luba received several letters of encouragement and congrats from her fellow Strictly cast members.
‘Congratulations!!! ❤️ yay!’, commented Venezuelan-American dancer Karen Hauer.
Jowita Przystał, from Poland, wrote: ‘Congratulations 👏🏻😘’
Lauren Oakley wrote: ‘Yayayayayyyyy!!! 👏👏👏👏’, while Shirley Ballas said: ‘Huge congratulations ❤️’
‘Congrats! Delighted to have you !’, echoed TV presenter Lorraine Kelly.
Amanda Abbington, who unexpectedly departed Strictly earlier this year, Fleur East, Zara McDermott, and Graziano Di Primi all lavished her with affection.
Luba was paired with Waterloo Road actor Adam Thomas for the 2023 season of Strictly, after not having a celebrity partner since series 18 with Jason Bell.
Luba and Adam, 35, were eliminated as the sixth pair after losing the fifth dance-off against Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington.
Luba had previously expressed her admiration for Adam and his growth during the competition.
Adam was particularly thrilled to take Luba the farthest she has ever progressed in the programme, having previously been removed early doors.
‘It’s been incredible,’ she said of working with Adam.
‘I truly believe that I will never have a better partner than him because he has so much on his plate but, at the same time, he always gives 100% and trusts me 100%, which is the most important part in this relationship.
‘He’s just an incredible human being and I am very, very honoured to be with him on his journey.’
Luba went on to say that she and Adam would ‘take on board’ both ‘good and negative’ remarks from the judges, even if fans thought they were harsh.
‘We work on them and hopefully, we fix all the negative comments.’
Meanwhile, Adam thanked his partner Luba for assisting him in managing his arthritis, which made exercising more difficult for him.
‘Before this, I wasn’t really active because I was in so much pain, but I haven’t got any excuses now! I’ve gotta get up and dance,’ he joked.
‘There are good days and bad days, with arthritis, you just never know when the flare-ups will happen, but we’re getting through it.’
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday and Sunday on BBC One and iPlayer.
