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A former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant has confirmed that he hooked up with pro partner Karina Smirnoff. Read on to find out what Aaron Carter said, including how it impacted Karina’s engagement to fellow pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Aaron Carter Said He ‘Stole’ Karina Smirnoff Away From Fiance Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Aaron Carter was a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars” back in season nine in 2009. He finished in 5th place, just missing the finals with his partner Karina Smirnoff. In a new podcast interview, he told fellow “Dancing With the Stars” alum Steve-O that he hooked up with his partner and actually “stole her from” her fiance, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
“I stole Karina Smirnoff, my partner, from the other guy on the show, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. I basically stole her from him and then they broke off their engagement,” said Aaron, going on to say that when it didn’t work out between them, they both started sabotaging their chances.
“Karina and I just didn’t click and we were about to win and she got mad at me because I basically didn’t want to be with her-with her and was like stomping my feet on purpose during live performances, with those heels and all,” said Aaron, adding, “She would knee me in the balls real quick [when we were dancing] just ’cause she didn’t want to be on [the show] anymore with me and she was mad and she’s Russian.”
He then cracked, “I ended up dating a Russian later and oh my god — Russian women, they’re so beautiful, but they will slice your throat open.”
Karina and Maksim became engaged on New Year’s Eve 2008 but called it off nine months later in September 2009 and according to People, it was because Karina was spending so much time with Aaron, though Karina and Aaron denied any kind of romance at the time, according to Reality TV World, saying they were just good friends. Incidentally, Maksim went on to marry fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd; they welcomed son Shai in January 2017.
Either way, as “Dancing With the Stars” alums, Aaron and Steve-O agreed on one thing — they both had a “terrible” time on the show.
“I don’t wanna talk bad about it because they were wonderful people, but my experience was terrible,” said Steve-O, who appeared on season eight with partner Lacey Schwimmer.
To this, Aaron responded, “My experience was terrible too because I didn’t realize how much work actually you had to put in.”
Aaron Just Welcomed A Son As Part of His Tumultuous Relationship With Fiancee Melanie Martin
In late November 2021, Aaron and fiancee Melanie Martin welcomed a son together, Prince Lyric Carter, named after what Aaron said the late singer MIchael Jackson used to call him (Aaron) — “Prince of Pop” — according to what Aaron told TMZ.
Melanie ended up having to undergo an emergency C-section during the birth, but everything turned out fine. Aaron wrote on Instagram at the time, ““Prince is precious, I love you son. Your mommy loves you as I drop tears on the phone. This is me cutting his umbilical cord my precious family #TheCarters @missmelaniemartin I’m so proud of you hunny you did it I Love you with all my heart my beautiful blessings from god.”
In a comment on the post, Melanie wrote, “I love you guys so much thank you sooo much baby for taking such great care of me during the labor. You made me feel so safe. So excited to start this new journey with my babies.”
However, the pair split less than a week after the baby’s birth because Aaron said Melanie had been sneaking around behind his back contacting his estranged twin sister, Angel. The pair have since reconciled, according to an Instagram video Aaron posted on December 5.
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.
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