Kara Tointon tells how Strictly romance blossomed
The pair shared a kiss on a date at the cinema but tried to hide their romance, despite rumours surfacing in the press, until after they won the BBC1 ballroom show.
Former EastEnders star Tointon told Hello! magazine she realised she had fallen for the Russian soon after meeting him.
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Hide AdShe said: "I knew pretty quick that I'd met someone special.
"We were getting to know each other and I thought, 'God, I really like him'."
Tointon said Chigvintsev "fitted in" easily when he spent Christmas with her and her family.
She said: "It has been my dream to meet someone that my family would love as much as I did."
And she has been introduced to his mother Anna, via Skype, with Artem acting as translator, and revealed she wants to visit Russia.
She said: "Artem's childhood is so different to mine. It's fascinating. I can't wait to go."
The couple said they are planning to move in together after they finish the current Strictly Come Dancing live tour.