Dancing With the Stars fans are already quite familiar with who Gleb Savchenko is, but they may not be as well acquainted with his longtime wife, Elena Samodanova.
Savchenko, 37, and Samodanova, 36, have been married since 2006. Together, the Russia natives share daughters, Olivia, 10, and Zlata, 3.
After being married for more than a decade, Us Weekly confirmed on November 6 that the couple have chosen to separate. “It is with a heavy heart that I tell you my wife and I are parting ways after 14 years of marriage,” he said in a statement to Us. “We still intend to coparent our wonderful children together who we love so dearly, and we will strive to continue to be the best parents that we can to them. We ask that you respect our family’s need for privacy and healing during this time.”
The Dancing With the Stars pro also confirmed the upsetting news via Instagram, for which he shared the same statement and a photo of the now-estranged couple with their two daughters. Samodanova, for her part, addressed the breakup in her Instagram Story by noting that their “road is coming to an end.”
Following the separation announcement, Samodanova shared a cryptic post to Instagram that read: “I don’t hate you. I’m just disappointed you turned into everything you said you’d never be.”
Throughout their now-strained marriage, Savchenko and Samodanova both led busy lives juggling parenthood alongside their careers. In 2017, the Gleb Collection designer shared how finding balance had benefitted their relationship.
“We’ve danced together for more than 10 years and we’ve been married more than 10 years, so we learn how to separate work and home,” he told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “At work, [it’s] just a business. So, I’m very demanding. I ask a lot from her, she asks a lot from me, but when we’re at home, we are just happy [a] husband and wife who love each other.”
Savchenko added, “We just enjoy each other’s company. That’s the secret, I think, and it’s been really successful so far.”
Scroll through the gallery below to learn more about Samodanova.