Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, came home safely last Wednesday, a week after he began filming the Russia-Ukraine situation from Kyiv on his Instagram account. Chmerkovskiy was sighted at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on March 2, when he had an emotional reunion with his wife Peta Murgatroyd, 35. Before walking out of the airport holding hands, the pair exchanged hugs and kisses. The dancer, who escaped Ukraine on a train bound for Poland on Monday, arrived in Warsaw after a 23-hour journey. Chmerkovskiy boarded a Finnair aircraft to the United States on Tuesday after lasting 36 hours without sleeping.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy opted for his iPhone over guns.
Chmerkovskiy, the Ukraine-born choreographer who chronicled his whole experience of being confined in Kyiv during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, was filming as a judge for the country’s World of Dance series.
During a press conference at the airport, the Dancing With The Stars alum stated:
“That’s the reality: I don’t want to dislike tranquility someplace else because of what I just saw. I honestly don’t know what to say right now.”
Chmerkovskiy also said he was told to buy a gun and learn how to handle an AK-47 by watching YouTube tutorials. However, instead of a rifle, the actor chose to use his iPhone to chronicle his experience and the continuing fight for everyone to witness. On Tuesday, Chmerkovskiy shared a live Instagram video.
Chmerkovskiy told reporters, referring to neighboring nations that have been assisting Ukraine throughout the conflict:
“A big shout out to Poland, and a big shout out to the surrounding nations. Because of how I was handled during the whole process of leaving for Poland, I’ve decided to kneel down to the Polish people.”
It was an emotional reunion for Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd as he arrived home safely from Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Pxwa6tzfFh
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) March 3, 2022
Maksim Chmerkovskiy ended his remarks with:
“Following this event, I believe we will need to totally rethink how we do things as a planet in 2022. There will never be another individual who can achieve anything like this again. We need checks and balances all around the world, not just in one nation at a time.”
Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s wife, Peta Murgatroyd
Peta Murgatroyd is a professional dancer and choreographer from New Zealand who has studied ballet, modern, and Spanish dance. She began training in classical ballet when she was four years old. Murgatroyd, who spent 12 years teaching under Madame Lubov Nikonorenko, former principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet, was a member of the Burn The Floor global tour in 2004. She appeared on Broadway in 2009 as the top female dancer in Burn The Floor.
She also participated in the Australian versions of Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance that year. Murgatroyd won the 14th season of Dancing With The Stars (American) with Donald Driver, which she joined in 2011. Murgatroyd, who participated in Dancing With The Stars for 13 seasons, also won the show’s 22nd season in 2016 with deaf model/actor Nyle DiMarco. In 2009, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd met on Broadway. They began dating in 2012, only to call it quits ten months later. In January 2015, the pair resumed their relationship. Chmerkovskiy proposed following an onstage performance in December of the same year. The couple had their son Shai in January 2017 and married later that year, in July.
