# Luba Mushtuk

Luba Mushtuk (Russian: Люба Муштук; born 14 November 1989) is a Russian-British dancer and choreographer.

## Early life

Mushtuk was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. When she was twelve she moved to Italy to dance. She announced on Instagram on November 20, 2023 that she had become a British citizen.

## Career

Mushtuk was four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship and is also an Italian Open Latin Show Dance champion. She came in second place in the European 10 Dance Championships and was a finalist at the Latin European Championships. In 2018, the BBC announced that Mushtuk would join the cast of professional dancers on the British television show Strictly Come Dancing. She won the 2018 Children in Need special with Shane Lynch. She also competed in the 2018 Christmas special, paired with EastEnders actor and Strictly Come Dancing 2014 contestant, Jake Wood. She danced with Jay Blades for the 2021 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. She danced with Rickie Haywood-Williams for the 2022 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.
For series 17 of Strictly, Mushtuk was partnered with rower James Cracknell. They were the first couple to be eliminated after losing the first dance-off to David James and Nadiya Bychkova.
For series 18, she was partnered with former NFL player and sports pundit, Jason Bell. They were the second couple to be eliminated after losing the second dance-off to Nicola Adams and Katya Jones. After 2 years in the dance troupe, she was partnered with actor Adam Thomas for series 21. They were the sixth couple to be eliminated after losing the fifth dance-off to Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington. For series 22 she was partnered with TV presenter Nick Knowles They were the third couple to be eliminated after losing the dance off to Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu.

### Strictly Come Dancing results

| Series | Partner | Place | Average score |
| 17 | James Cracknell | 15th | 12.0 |
| 18 | Jason Bell | 11th | 20.3 |
| 21 | Adam Thomas | 9th | 27.3 |
| 22 | Nick Knowles | 13th | 20.0 |
Highest and lowest scoring per dance
| Dance | Partner | Highest | Partner | Lowest |
| American Smooth | Adam Thomas | 32 | Jason Bell Nick Knowles | 21 |
| Argentine Tango | | | | |
| Cha-cha-cha | Adam Thomas | 19 | | |
| Charleston | Nick Knowles | 21 | | |
| Couple's Choice | Adam Thomas | 32 | | |
| Foxtrot | | | | |
| Jive | Adam Thomas | 26 | James Cracknell | 13 |
| Paso Doble | Jason Bell | 16 | | |
| Quickstep | | | | |
| Rumba | Adam Thomas | 27 | | |
| Salsa | Jason Bell | 24 | | |
| Samba | | | | |
| Showdance | | | | |
| Tango | Adam Thomas | 23 | James Cracknell | 11 |
| Viennese Waltz | | | | |
| Waltz | Adam Thomas | 32 | | |

#### Performances with James Cracknell

| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Result |
| Week # | Dance / Song | Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Tonioli | Total | Result |
| 1 | Tango / "Gold" | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "Tutti Frutti" | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | Eliminated |

#### Performances with Jason Bell

| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Result |
| Week # | Dance / Song | Horwood | Ballas | Mabuse | Total | Result |
| 1 | American Smooth / "My Girl" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Salsa / "Get Lucky" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "Star Wars Theme" | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | Eliminated |

#### Performances with Adam Thomas

| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Result |
| Week # | Dance / Song | Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | Total | Result |
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Waffle House" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Tango / "Somebody Told Me" | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 23 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "Take On Me" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 4 | Waltz / "I Wonder Why" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 5 | Couple's Choice / "Backstreet Boys" medley | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 | Safe |
| 6 | American Smooth / "Magic Moments" | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Rumba / "Dancing on My Own" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Eliminated |

#### Performances with Nick Knowles

Nick Knowles suffered an injury and did not compete in Week 3. Therefore, he was given a bye to Week 4. Due to little time to train, they were allowed to perform the Charleston they were supposed to dance in week 3.
| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Judges' score | Result |
| Week # | Dance / Song | Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | Total | Result |
| 1 | Jive / "We Built This City" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | No Elimination |
| 2 | American Smooth / "Parklife" | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 21 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "Rain on the Roof" | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 21 | Eliminated |