‘DWTS’ alum Peta Murgatroyd prays for Maksim Chmerkovskiy's safe return amid Ukraine invasion
Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Peta Murgatroyd's spouse and a 'Dancing With The Stars' pro, is currently in Ukraine, where Russian troops are attacking Kyiv and other cities and invading the country, according to Murgatroyd. The attacks began in the early hours of Thursday, February 24, and have threatened the lives of residents, including Chmerkovskiy. Peta turned to social media for support during this difficult period.
In an Instagram post, Murgatroyd pleaded, "Please pray for my husband Maks. I usually don't ask these things from my social media network, however today is extremely hard and the next few will be even harder." She went on to say that her spouse is in fact in his own nation, and that his present situation is as follows: "Many of you are asking for details and I don’t have the answers, but yes, he is safe right now."
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Murgatroyd then appealed for her husband's and the entire country's safety. She said, "Please pray that he comes home soon. Please pray that he has a swift, safe exit. I have FAITH. I have HOPE and I PRAYED so hard. Please pray for Ukraine and the innocent civilians who’s [sic] lives are being greatly uprooted. I grew to love this country the couple times I visited and they’re in an unfathomable situation."
This comes after Chmerkovskiy expressed his concerns about Ukraine's present issue. "There’s ALWAYS another way! WAR is NEVER an answer! " he exclaimed in the description of a moving Instagram video. He went into greater detail on the country's current state in another video. "I’m uneasy. I’m very scared ," he said in the video. "I have a passport, and I have a way out. A lot of people here do not, and it’s f**king nonsense."
"I am not at this point someone who is pleading for someone else’s safety from a far distance, from a safe distance," he said, urging Russian people to speak out against their government. "I'm about to head to a bomb bunker because s**t is about to go down," he continued. "This is just one man's ambition of something," he said, seemingly referring to Vladimir Putin.
While performing in "Burn the Floor," Peta and Maksim Chmerkovskiy met. "Maks" was engaged to his dancing partner Karina Smirnoff when the musical was on Broadway in 2009. In 2009, the pair called off their engagement and refused to appear in the play together. Peta and Maks had worked together as professional dancers and choreographers for many years, including on "Dancing With the Stars." However, they didn't start dating until 2012.
