Battling it out. Gleb Savchenko‘s split from estranged wife Elena Samodanova keeps getting messier as they attempt to reach an agreement on child and spousal support.
Samodanova, 36, filed for divorce on December 22, one month after she and Savchenko, 37, announced they were separating after 14 years of marriage. The former pair share daughters Olivia, 10, and Zlata, 3. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Samodanova is seeking primary custody of the two children, as well as child support, spousal support and compensation of legal fees.
“As set forth in the declaration of [Samodanova], she has been focused and responsible for ensuring [the] health, safety, and welfare of the children since birth,” the So You Think You Can Dance choreographer states in her court filing. “The parties attended mediation in an effort to resolve the issues prior to the filing of this action. While the parties reached an agreement on several issues, [Savchenko] refused to pay child or spousal support without a court order.”
The ballroom pros tied the knot in July 2006. Per her submission to the court, Samodanova believes her estranged husband is more than able to provide both child and spousal support because he “earns an approximate annual salary of $406,614” from his work on Dancing With the Stars, or $33,884 per month.
Samodanova, for her part, “is unemployed” and makes her “only source of income” from the dance studio she co-owns with Savchenko. The studio “generates $37,250 annually,” or $3,105 per month, but has been closed since February due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the documents, Samodanova wants to ensure that she and her children can continue to enjoy “a high standard of living” following the divorce.
The pair’s official date of separation is listed as December 1 after they attended a mediation session. “While we were able to reach an agreement on several issues, we did not reach an agreement on a parenting plan, child support, spousal support and legal fees,” the documents state.
As previously reported by Us, Samodanova claimed “[Savchenko] has not rented an apartment” in the weeks since their split “and is essentially ‘crashing’ with his friend” in a “bachelor” pad. After making several visits to the apartment, the Russia native argued that it is “not a safe environment” for their young daughters and requested “continued primary physical custody of the children with visitation to [Savchenko], until such time as he secures appropriate housing for himself and the children.”
Shortly after the twosome announced that they were going their separate ways, some fans began to wonder if Savchenko’s close bond with his season 29 DWTS partner, Chrishell Stause, had anything to do with his split. Both the choreographer and the Selling Sunset star, 39, denied the rumors of infidelity. Earlier this month, Savchenko doubled down on his stance after taking a couple’s vacation with new flame Cassie Scerbo, Stause and her boyfriend, Keo Motsepe.
“We’ve had problems for years,” Savchenko told Entertainment Tonight of his estranged wife. “I was in a mentally abusive, jealous relationship. … The thing is, I’ve never actually cheated on her. Never, ever, ever.”
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