Peta Murgatroyd Sent Maks Chmerkovskiy ‘Almost Goodbye Text’ Amid War

Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd

Getty Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd

“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd and her husband Maks Chmerkovskiy were separated while the latter was in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the country.

Murgatroyd opened up to ET about the experience of her husband being in the country when it was invaded.

“To get the phone call and to see him frantically packing his bags trying to get out of the hotel was just like, I had a heart attack nearly,” she told the outlet. “I had to sit myself down and calm down for him. And then the next eight days were life-changing. Absolutely life-changing.”

Murgatroyd said at one point she “literally wrote him a text, almost a goodbye text like if something happened.”


Chmerkovskiy Has Already Returned to Poland to Help

After getting out of Ukraine and returning to Los Angeles, Chmerkovskiy went back to Poland to help on the border with his organization Baranova 27, which he has been running with his brother, Val Chmerkovskiy.

Maks has also been assisted by former “Dancing With the Stars” celebrity partner Bethenny Frankel with her BStrong initiative.

When Maks returned the first time, Murgatroyd shared a lengthy and emotional post about her reunion with her husband and thanked her fans for staying with her through the crisis.

“Thank you from the depths of my soul for all the support and constant outpouring of love. I see everything and I am forever thankful. Xo,” she wrote in the post.


Maks Wants to Get Back to Normal But Called for Aid

Maks told ET that he wants to get back to normal, but that it has been a struggle. The couple was celebrating Beauty Awards, one of which was awarded to Murgatroyd’s product, Peta Jane Tanning Mousse.

“The fact that we’re here, the culminating moment is like, how do you get back to the normality of it all?” he asked. “What’s the new normal? For me, it doesn’t exist without the association of the war that is ongoing. It hasn’t subsided. It’s just the relocation of some things.”

He also said he was very “lucky” that his wife was there for him.

“I made that commitment,” he shared. “We are working with Barnova 27, my organization. We’re pushing out, we’re working on other ways of getting other things into the country and what’s needed. We’re working on developing livable towns, makeshift towns that can maybe serve as something else; try to attract technology, 3D printing and so on.”

The dancer said he was dedicating himself to spreading awareness about the crisis in Ukraine.

“I realized when I got home that this is so far away and it’s hard to retell the story over and over,” he said. “So, I’m just using this opportunity to say like, ‘it’s going on right now.’ People are just now starting to need even more help and we should stay with it.”

“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it does get renewed, the show will return sometime in mid-September 2022.

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