‘DWTS’ Gleb Savchenko On Co-Parenting With Ex Elena Samodanova As They Celebrate Father’s Day
‘DWTS’ pro Gleb Savchenko is spending his first Father’s Day as a single dad! He opened up about co-parenting with his ex in this EXCLUSIVE new interview.
Dancing with the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko, 37, has had to adjust to co-parenting this year after he and his wife, Elena Samodanova, 36, decided to call it quits after two kids and 14 years of marriage. “Life happens,” Gleb told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY during an episode of TVTalk on Instagram Live on June 19. “Things happen. You want to live your life. You want to be happy. Whatever happens, I have two amazing, two girls and we’re both co-parenting,” he said, referencing his daughters Olivia, 10, and Zlata, 3.
Gleb took to social media on Nov. 6 to announce the split, followed by Elena officially filing for divorce in Dec. 2020. Although names were never used, Elena accused her ex of being unfaithful as rumors swirled that Gleb and his season 29 partner Chrishell Stause, 39, were getting romantic — something both parties denied. “No wife should ever stand by and watch while another woman gifts her husband expensive presents, lures him out to dinners and seduces him at every turn,” Elena told People magazine. “Last night was the final straw, and I can no longer turn my head the other way. My trust in Gleb is irrevocably broken and it is time that I walk away and begin to heal so I can be the best version of myself for my girls.”
Gleb, who released his own statement asking for privacy and debunking Elena’s claims, is trying his best to be a good father and put his girls first as the divorce process carries on. “We have two kids and less stress and just take it day by day, take it easy, no drama, no hate, no arguments in front of the kids,” Gleb added. “Try to be your best version of the parents you possibly can and do everything for the kids because the kids are the most important thing and that’s it. That’s it, really.”
In recent months, the former couple have been able to maintain a strong co-parenting relationship as headed to Jamaica for an early Father’s Day celebration. “We’re here on vacation, together,” Gleb confirmed. “Because we’re still going through a divorce…we have two different rooms and she’s with Zlata and I’m with Olivia doing activities. Olivia’s 10 and Zlata’s 3, so we kind of found this great, kind of like timing when I’m with the little one and she’s with the little one and we switch, doing different stuff.”
The parents have an agreement to keep their conversations private, which seems to have helped them find their groove. “We have an agreement we don’t talk about anything else besides the kids, in front of the kids, and this is for them,” Gleb added. “This whole holiday trip that was planned before COVID. It works great. It’s all good. It’s a process and I have lots of love and respect, but things happen to everybody, right?” he explained.
Despite the split, Gleb seemed over-the-moon to be celebrating Father’s Day with his little ones. “To me, every day is Father’s Day to me with my kids. Every day is Father’s Day to me with my kids. I literally do everything starting with brushing teeth and brushing hair, dressing them, the whole thing which I love. I absolutely love. It’s amazing. I just love being a dad. It’s the best thing anyone can wish for,” he also told HL.