Dancing With the Stars professional Gleb Savchenko has accused his ex-wife, fellow dancer Elena Samodanova, of giving their 15-year-old daughter weight-loss pills without medical supervision while the teenager lives with her in Hong Kong, according to new court documents filed in Los Angeles.

In a fresh declaration, the 43-year-old says Olivia told him she had been 'given weight-loss medication without appropriate medical oversight and without the parental consultation required by the existing orders'.

Olivia lives with her mother in Hong Kong. The claims have not been independently verified, and representatives for both parents did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Claims of 'Maltreatment' in Gleb Savchenko Filing

Savchenko also claims in the filing that Olivia has faced derogatory comments about her 'body, weight and appearance', as well as punishments at home. He alleges Samodanova removed her bedroom door as punishment and subjected her to prolonged silent treatment.

He says this, together with the alleged use of the medication, has left Olivia fearful of her mother's 'temper and anger issues' and amounted to 'years of ... maltreatment'.

Savchenko is not asking the court to move the girls from Hong Kong. Instead, he wants any order allowing them to stay there to include clear protections for their physical and emotional health.

He also asks that his time with them is not shortened or disrupted unless both parents agree in writing, and that his 'regular, direct, private and unmonitored' video and phone contact, three times a week, is preserved.

In separate filings, he asks the court to bar either parent from conduct 'harmful to [the children's] emotional or physical health' and from disparaging the other to the girls.

Read more

Long-Running Gleb Savchenko Custody Dispute

Savchenko and Samodanova, both professional dancers, married in July 2006 and have two daughters, Olivia and nine-year-old Zlata. They separated in November 2020 and finalised their divorce in October 2021 under a joint custody agreement.

Samodanova moved to Hong Kong with the girls in 2023. In July, Savchenko, who is based in Los Angeles, filed for emergency custody, saying she had signed a post-judgment agreement for what was meant to be a temporary move for work.

He sought temporary sole custody of Olivia. The court ordered the parents to attend mediation on 5 August before a formal hearing.

Samodanova told TMZ the filing was 'a rushed attempt to bypass proper laws'. She said she had raised Olivia 'every day' while Savchenko worked full-time on the show, and that Olivia was due to fly back to Hong Kong on 5 June but her father cancelled the ticket without her permission. She has said her daughter is thriving at a leading school.

Judge Backs Existing Gleb Savchenko Arrangement

A Los Angeles judge has since largely backed the status quo, according to court records. Samodanova has final say over school enrolment and medical decisions when the parents disagree, and the girls will continue living with her in Hong Kong.

Savchenko's parenting time during winter, summer and spring holidays was secured, with an extra week if he travels to China.

Samodanova has separately accused Savchenko of contempt of court after he enrolled Olivia in a California high school without her consent. Savchenko has raised the cost of flights between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, offering to advance 'reasonable' travel expenses but arguing he should not bear them alone.

Read more