DWTS’ Brooks Nader Reveals How Gleb Savchenko Really Made Her Feel

“Dancing With the Stars” has had several showmances, but one of the most memorable relationships was between model Brooks Nader and her professional dance partner, Gleb Savchenko. There is also some debate about whether their connection was genuine, and Nader recently weighed in on this.

Nader competed on Season 33 and met Savchenko in September 2024. Their relationship was short-lived, and People reports they broke up soon after their elimination from the show on October 15. They later rekindled their romance, but People reports they broke up again in April 2025. In an episode of the “Chicks in the Office” podcast, Nader revealed that her feelings for Savchenko were real and she was “actually really, really into him.”

Brooks Nader Confirms Her Feelings for Gleb Savchenko Were Real

Nader also revealed on the “Chicks in the Office” podcast that she had initially been looking for something fun because she was “newly divorced.” After four years of marriage, Nader and her husband, Billy Haire, announced their divorce in May 2024. Nader’s representative told People their split was “amicable” and that they were “divorcing after living apart for months.”

So, when meeting Savchenko, the last thing on Nader’s mind was finding love. “Day one, when I met him I was like, ‘Oh, this is perfect. This isn’t gonna go anywhere serious, I know exactly what I’m gonna do here and it’s gonna be a bit,'” she said. “Day two, I was in love and it wasn’t a bit anymore. And I was actually really, really into him.”

She also addressed the claims that he was her “fake boyfriend,” saying, “Actually, he wasn’t!”

Nader discussed the term “love bombing” and how her sisters noticed red flags in her relationship before she did. “It’s all new to me because I haven’t dated. I’ve only been married,” she shared. “So when certain things would happen throughout the season, [my sisters] would be like, ‘That’s a huge red flag.’ And I’m like, but is it? It’s so nice! And they’re like, ‘It’s called love bombing, or this or that.'”

What Did Gleb Savchenko Say About Working With Brooks Nader?

Although Nader and Savchenko ultimately broke up, when they were together, they spoke fondly about each other and their experience on “Dancing With the Stars.”

“When we get to dance with each other for five hours a day, and we’re so close and personal and she looks like that, we just kind of develop that kind of chemistry,” Savchenko told People in September 2024 after he and Nader kissed in their rehearsal footage. “It’s natural, and it’s awesome. We’re hanging out and it’s just having a good time, living life.”

Nader also confirmed that she enjoyed DWTS, calling her inclusion on the show “life-changing.” She told People, “It’s been emotional and hard work and physically and mentally, everything [is] challenging, which I really love and appreciate. And I get to hang out with Gleb every day for five-plus hours, which is a treat.”