Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper offer refuge to a Ukrainian woman to live Strictly dream

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Yeva Kenia., 12, and her mother Katerina were offered shelter by Strictly Ed Balls star and secretary inside the shadow Yvette Cooper after Russia invaded Ukraine - and the youngster will now have the chance to dance in Blackpool

Yeva Kenia with her dance partner Zakhar, alongside Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown

The Blackpool ballroom dream of two Ukrainian children is about to come true a year after Russia invaded their country.

Yeva Kenia., 12, and her dance partner Zakhar, 10, had long had ambitions of competing at the spiritual home of Strictly Come Dancing on the Lancashire coast.

But the brutal war unleashed in their homeland torpedoed the plan.

However, after Yeva's family is offered sanctuary by Strictly Ed Balls star and his shadow cabinet minister wife Yvette, Yeva and Zakhar can once again put on their dancing shoes.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Yeva's mum, Katerina, said: "In February last year we had plans to compete in Blackpool.

"We booked hotels and the visa to get into the UK, and the day I was going to the embassy, ​​I woke up and got ready to go and my husband said, ' No, we are leaving because the war is starting."< /p>

Young people's hopes of dancing in Blackpool were dashed by Putin's invasion

When the family made the heartbreaking decision to scare Yeva and Katerina away, they decided the UK would be the best place for Yeva and Zakhar to pursue their dance dream.

At the same time, like thousands of British families, Home Secretary Yvette, 53, and former Shadow Chancellor Ed, 55, sought to offer refuge to Ukrainian refugees in their home in Castleford, West Yorks.

Yvette also took part in a charity fundraiser dancing the American Waltz for Leeds Rhinos rugby league star Rob Burrows to raise money for motor neurone disease, which he suffers from.

It was through this event - and with the help of Ed's Strictly partner Katya Jones - that the Cooper-Balls family bonded with Yeva and Katerina, who hail from the outskirts of Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Zakhar and his mother Yana and older siblings have taken refuge in a nearby house.

Katerina, who still lives with the politically-powered couple, said: "When we decided to move, it was one of our questions because we wanted to live together so that the children could continue practicing.