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Former “Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd is defending her choice to leave her husband and son behind when she went to Australia on a recent trip to visit her parents and brother.
Here is why she felt the need to speak up and how important the trip was for her:
Peta Said She Wanted to be There As a Sister & a Daughter
Peta just got back from a trip to her home country of Australia. She was gone for 12 days visiting her parents and her brother, Sam, and her husband, fellow “Dancing With the Star” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy and their son, Shai, stayed back in Los Angeles.
She told her followers in an Instagram story that she missed them terribly, but it was important to her to get that time with her parents and brother.
“I missed [Shai] dreadfully, but I wouldn’t have had the same experience with my family if I was there as a mother and a wife as well,” said the dancer. “I was just there as Peta, the sister and the daughter, and we said to each other when we were all sitting in the living room together with my brother Sam that this hasn’t happened in over 10 years, which is quite something. Maybe even 15. The last time we all sat in the living room together just us four was so long ago and it’s sad.”
On her Instagram, she also made a post of Shai giving her a belated Mother’s Day gift because she was gone on Mother’s Day, the first one she has missed since he was born.
“My baby surprised me last night with a handmade pot plant and beautiful cards! There is nothing more special than this. Missing my first Mother’s Day was really hard but also worth it to see my family after two and a half years. Thank you @maksimc for holding down the fort whilst I was gone,” wrote Peta.
In her stories, Peta went on to say that she’s “glad” she went to Australia “without [her] other family” because it let her have some “really special time” with her parents while she can.
“My experience wouldn’t have been the same [with Maks and Shai there], and I’m glad that I did it without my other family so I could have that really special time that I may not get back again,” said Peta.
That may be in reference to the fact that Peta’s dad is not in great health. She hasn’t shared a lot of details, but before she left on her trip, she posted a photo to her Instagram stories that revealed her father is sick.
“My dad isn’t doing the best so I just want to spend every minute with him, and of course, my mother and brother,” wrote Peta at the time.
Peta Said She’s ‘Crying’ Because Maks Had to Leave Again
After 12 days away, Peta got back to Los Angeles and revealed she and Maks only got to spend one and a half days together before he left again — but she understands because it’s for a really important cause.
“I came back and Maks is gone to Turkey, so we had one and a half days to spend with each other. It wasn’t long enough, but he’s going over there to do some amazing work for Baranova 27,” said Peta, writing in the story, “Crying, but Baranova 27 is worth it!”
Baranova 27 is the organization that Maks, his brother Valentin and their father Alexsandr founded to raise money and supplies for the people of Ukraine, who are currently still fighting against the Russian invasion.
She also added that she’s “so happy to be home” with Shai.
“He is just the cutest thing ever, I am so happy to be a full-time mom again. I love it. Twelve days away was really, really hard,” said Peta, adding, “He picked me up from the airport and hew as so cute waiting for me to walk up that international ramp. It was the best feeling, I love him so much.”
Peta and Maks welcomed their son in January 2017 and were married the following July. Peta recently revealed in an Instagram story that they are “so ready to expand [their] family” and they have been trying to get pregnant with baby No. 2, but it just hasn’t happened for them yet because Maks has been traveling a lot.
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 31st season in the fall of 2022 on Disney Plus.
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