Dancing with the Stars

9:57 AM PT -- Gleb Savchenko's ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, is firing back at his claim she abducted their daughters and moved them to China

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Gleb Savchenko has filed a request for an emergency child custody order as he claims his ex has kept their kids in Hong Kong since 2023 ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ, Gleb shares two daughters, Olivia and Zlata, with his ex-wife Elena Samodanova ... and following their divorce, the girls relocated to Hong Kong with their mother.

But Gleb claims they agreed the move was only meant to be temporary and the kids were supposed to return to the United States by June 30, 2024 ... that never happened, and he now says Elena refuses to send them back.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Gleb Savchenko's ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, is firing back at his claim she abducted their daughters and moved them to China ... insisting Hong Kong is the girls' permanent home and accusing him of wrongfully keeping one of their daughters in California by canceling her return flight.

Elena tells TMZ ... "The statement from Mr. Savchenko's attorney misrepresents our family's reality. As Olivia's primary caregiver, I have raised her every day while Gleb worked full-time on DWTS. Today, Olivia thrives in Hong Kong. She attends a top school and is an elite ballroom dancer."

She continues ... "Gleb's actions directly jeopardize her future, education, and athletic progress. California lacks jurisdiction over our daughter. Hong Kong is Olivia's permanent home and legal residency. Ironically, Gleb himself holds a Permanent Resident card there. Olivia was scheduled to return to Hong Kong on June 5th, but her father wrongfully canceled her ticket without my permission. This is a wrongful international retention."

Before this cute kid rockin' a bowl cut turned into a dancing machine, he was learning the moves in preparation for his bar mitzvah -- and by age 17, he'd already become a world champion dancer ...

You definitely know him best from his plethora of routines on "Dancing With the Stars." One of his most famous partners was "Jersey Shore" icon Snooki!

Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy are officially turning the page on their Los Angeles chapter ... 'cause TMZ has learned they've put their family home on the rental market as they settle into their new life in Florida.

Property records, obtained by TMZ, show the former "Dancing With the Stars" pros listed their 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom, roughly 4,300 square foot Valley Village home for rent about 20 days ago with an asking price of $18K per month.

The Napa-inspired house is loaded with upscale finishes, including herringbone oak floors, solid alder wood doors, oak ceilings, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, custom cherry wood cabinetry and even a hidden "secret pantry."

"Dancing with the Stars" and "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Whitney Leavitt sounds like she's tap-dancing with joy ... because she just bought her dream home!

Whitney posted a cute video on Instagram announcing the life update ... she's with her husband -- Conner Leavitt -- and their three kids, launching party poppers from a very spacious and comfy-looking living room in their new digs.

She sold her Utah home -- a 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom estate -- last month ... about a year after buying it for $915K.

Guillermo Rodriguez is adding another gig to his resume … ‘cause TMZ has heard the beloved “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” personality is joining the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Production sources tell TMZ … Guillermo has signed on to compete in Season 35 of the ABC competition series and will be hitting the ballroom this fall.

The longtime sidekick and fan favorite has become a staple of late night television through his work alongside Jimmy Kimmel, earning laughs with his celebrity interviews, red carpet antics and comedic bits.

Guillermo is the latest celebrity to join the cast as ABC gears up for another season of the hit dance competition.

Reality TV stars Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller have already been announced for the upcoming season. Social media star and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson is also set to compete.

The full cast is expected to be revealed soon.

Before this baby boy from Australia turned into a zookeeper and TV personality, he was just dressin' up and posing cute for the camera ...

His dad was a wildlife icon, but if you're still unsure who he is ... he took home the mirror ball trophy on "Dancing With The Stars."

Janel Parrish is putting her marriage to Chris Long behind her ... as it looks like the two have reached an agreement to settle their divorce.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Parrish says the divorce was uncontested and that the former couple has entered into a written agreement to settle their issues.

Additional details have not been disclosed, but at the very least, we know they'll both be declared single once the judge rubber stamps their agreement. Janel is also asking the judge to sign off on the spousal support arrangement laid out in the agreement.

Derek Hough’s opening up about his childhood struggles -- saying the bullying got so bad that a group of kids held a gun to his head!

Speaking on "The Bossticks" podcast, the 'DWTS' star said being a skinny kid obsessed with dance didn’t exactly win him points at school ... and things escalated fast -- including one incident where he says a kid punched him so hard that Derek was left covered in blood.

Derek says he eventually started fighting back and beating the boys up, too ... but says that landed him in trouble and got him expelled. And that wasn't the end of it.

Ciara Miller says she's got one thing on her mind before stepping into the "Dancing With the Stars" ballroom ... getting back into the gym.

We caught up with the "Summer House" star in NYC Monday where she dished on how she's preparing for her upcoming run on "DWTS" ... admitting she definitely needs to start working out more before heading off to Los Angeles to film.

Sounds like Ciara knows ballroom rehearsals can be brutal and she's trying to get camera ready before the real training begins.

Anna Delvey is telling her story her way ... because TMZ has learned the infamous fake heiress is putting together a memoir and companion documentary chronicling her past, present and beyond.

Anna tells TMZ her projects will cover a broad timeline of her life -- starting much before her "Fake Heiress" scandal to her time on "Dancing with the Stars" and her experience hunkering down in NYC under house arrest amid her ongoing U.S. immigration proceedings regarding her visa status.

She hopes this memoir will give viewers a fresh perspective on who she is and everything she's working toward, explaining ... "There’s this assumption that life freezes at the moment the internet decides who you are, but in reality you still have to keep evolving while everyone else keeps projecting an outdated version of you onto the screen."

Derek Hough is kicking off his 41st birthday, and since this famous dancer is a new dad, we're supersoakin' you with his sexiest Zaddy snaps!

You'll be Hough-ing and puffing after waltzing into our photo gallery!

Alix Earle packed light for Miami ... unless you count all the cake she brought to the beach.

The "Hot Mess" bombshell recently turned South Beach into her own personal runway ... rocking a tiny printed bikini while lounging oceanside and snapping sultry selfies from her beach chair.

But the real attention-grabber came during a sunny dog walk ... when Alix slipped into a flowy cream cover-up that left her backside fully stealing the spotlight. Let’s just say the outfit was doing less covering than advertised.

Sasha Farber ain't doing anything to squash rumors he's dating Janel Parrish ... in fact, he just locked lips with her on Instagram!

Fans are convinced the "Dancing with the Stars" pro hard-launched their relationship with a video of the pair dancing together that ends with a passionate kiss. He captioned the post, "I’m the luckiest man in the world 🌹🥹."

Janel gave her seal of approval as well, writing "My 🤍🤍🤍🤍👑" in the comment section alongside a bunch of their thrilled peers.

Ciara Miller is trading Hamptons chaos for the ballroom ... 'cause she's officially joined "Dancing with the Stars" ... and the timing couldn't be messier.

ABC/Disney dropped the first big names for Season 35 on Wednesday during Hulu's Get Real House event ... revealing Ciara -- fresh off the "Summer House" friendship fallout heard 'round the Bravoverse -- will compete for the Mirrorball trophy. And Ciara is not the only reality TV queen joining the cast ... "Love Island" and "The Traitors" star Maura Higgins is also lacing up her dancing shoes.

The full celeb cast and pro lineups are still under wraps, but the show's set to return this fall and you already know Ciara's storyline is bringing some serious baggage to the dance floor.

Taylor Frankie Paul was not booked for "Dancing With the Stars," despite reports ... and now we know what is likely causing the confusion.

A source close to 'DWTS' tells TMZ ... "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" and 'Bachelorette' star was involved with the dance competition show -- but what she did is being blown out of proportion.

From what we're told ... on her season of "The Bachelorette" -- which was shelved -- one date was a crossover with 'DWTS' ... and it seems that ballroom scene is being conflated into something more.