Lee Ryan Dismisses 'Strictly Come Dancing' 'Curse' Claims In Instagram Post

He and partner Nadiya Bychkova made the front page of The Sun over the weekend.

Lee Ryan has laughed off the suggestion of a ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ romance in a veiled Instagram post.

Over the weekend, it was suggested that Lee and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova had been struck down by the so-called “‘Strictly’ curse”, when they were snapped on the front over of The Sun holding hands.

While Lee did not address the pictures head-on, it looked like he was keen to prove that his relationship with Nadiya was strictly professional, with a post on his Instagram account.

Sharing a photo with his ex-girlfriend Samantha Janey - with whom he has a 10-year-old daughter - holding hands on a day out together, he captioned the image: “If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry.”

Later in the weekend, Nadiya posted her own photo, in which she and her footballer fiancé, Matija Skarabot, were seen looking loved up as they posed together in a mirror.

She wrote: “Perfect Sunday… Be happy in the moment.” 

Nadiya and Matija announced their engagement in 2017, when the professional dancer was still competing in last year’s series, where she was partnered with ‘EastEnders’ actor Davood Ghadami.

On Saturday night, Lee and Nadiya will make their dance floor debut together, in this year’s first live show. 

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Lee Ryan
Ian West - PA Images via Getty Images

Lee was arguably one of the more surprising signings of this year’s ‘Strictly’, as it was previously reported that BBC bosses were keen to keep reality stars off the celebrity line-up.

Although best known for his work as a singer in Blue, Lee famously appeared on Channel 5’s ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ back in 2014, where he made headlines for his romances with both Casey Batchelor and Jasmine Waltz.

13 times the Strictly "curse" struck
Rachel Riley(01 of13)
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The Countdown presenter announced her split from her husband just weeks after her stint on the show. In 2014, she and pro dancer Pasha Kovalev confirmed they were dating, though she remained insistent that Strictly had nothing to do with her marriage split.

Rachel and Pasha later tied the knot and now have two children together, with the TV personality recently trying to distance herself from Strictly's so-called "curse".
(credit:Joe Giddens/PA Archive)
Susanna Reid(02 of13)
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Susanna's marriage ended in February 2014, weeks after she finished as a runner-up in the competition. The Good Morning Britain anchor continued to live with her ex, Dominic Cotton, and their two sons in the months that followed. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Louise Redknapp(03 of13)
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After reaching the final of the 2016 series, Louise began to be plagued with rumours her 19-year marriage to former footballer Jamie Redknapp was on the rocks. Months later, the couple confirmed they had gone their separate ways. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Joe Calzaghe(04 of13)
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Boxer Joe and pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff initally denied romance rumours when they were paired together in 2009. However Joe split from his girlfriend just weeks later. Joe and Kristina later confirmed that they were a couple, before splitting after four years together. (credit:Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images)
Ben Cohen(05 of13)
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While on the show, Ben denied rumours that he was romancing his pro partner Kristina, and later split from his wife Abby. He and Kristina went on to confirm their relationship but remained insistent it had only begun after the breakdown of his marriage. The couple now have a child together. (credit:Steve Thorne via Getty Images)
Matt Di Angelo(06 of13)
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The EastEnders star reportedly first hooked up with Flavia Cacace during their time dancing together on the 2008 series – on which Flavia's then-boyfriend Vincent Simone was also a dancer. However, they weren't together for long... (credit:Jon Furniss via Getty Images)
Jimi Mistry(07 of13)
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Just a year after getting together with Matt, Flavia ended the relationship after finding love with her new dance partner Jimi. The couple married in 2013. (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Natasha Kaplinsky (08 of13)
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Newsreader Natasha and Brendan were plagued by romance rumours when they were paired up for the first ever series of Strictly in 2004. Despite being insistent that they were just friends, Natasha and Brendan both split from their partners shortly after winning the series. (credit:MJ Kim via Getty Images)
Daisy Lowe(09 of13)
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Daisy split from her boyfriend Bradley "Frankie" Wade during her stint on Strictly in 2016. The relationship was still quite new and the pair struggled to find the time to see each other with her commitments to the show. (credit:PA Archive/PA Images)
Sunetra Sarker(10 of13)
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Sunetra split from her husband of 10 years just before filming for the 2014 series began. (credit:Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images)
Dani Harmer (11 of13)
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Tracey Beaker star Dani split from her boyfriend just days after filming began in 2012. (credit:John Phillips via Getty Images)
Helen George(12 of13)
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Just after Helen announced she was one of the 2015 contestants, the Call The Midwife actor revealed she was splitting from her husband of four years, Oliver Boot. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Georgia May Foote(13 of13)
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Georgia entered Strictly while in a relationship with former Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward. However, just after the series ended, the couple announced their split, and it wasn't long before she embarked on a relationship with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. They eventually broke up after less than a year together. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)