Maksim Chmerkovskiy Speaks out About ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Partner Vanessa Lachey

After their departure from Monday night’s shocking double elimination episode of Dancing With the Stars, Maksim Chmerkovskiy is paying tribute to his celebrity partner, Vanessa Lachey.

In a series of Instagram photos from the couple’s Paso Doble on Monday night, Chmerkovskiy wrote a sweet note to Lachey.

“Last night was a movie and you were every bit a starlet. We worked our asses off for every single step and I’m proud of every single step we’ve taken together,” he wrote. “Thank you for your effort, dedication and your relentlessness. You stood tall, put on a show and kept up with the best of them! I’m very much a proud partner, coach and a friend.”

He concluded by sharing that if this happened to be his final season on the dancing competition, he wouldn’t change a thing. “This was one of the most eventful seasons I’ve ever had and, if it were my last, I wouldn’t want this journey to end any other way.”

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Chmerkovskiy and Lachey’s season was peppered with drama, as rumors flew that the two weren’t getting along and that was the reason for Maks’ absence during one of the live shows.

The duo seemed to get over their feud, however, when Chmerkovskiy penned a heartfelt note to Lachey. “I’m proud of you partner!” he wrote. “They can say what they want but you’re a star and I wouldn’t want to be on this rollercoaster with anyone but you!”

“Things are returning to normal. Maks has apologized to her and they both look forward to having a much more positive relationship moving forward,” a source told Us Weekly at the time.

Lachey and Chmerkovskiy were eliminated from competition in a shocking double elimination alongside Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev.

The couple’s departure from the show came a week after Lachey’s husband, Nick Lachey, was eliminated with his partner, and Chmerkovskiy’s wife, Peta Murgatroyd. The couples lovingly referred to themselves as Team Ballroom and Babies, as they both recently welcomed little ones into the world.

Vanessa spoke out about Nick’s elimination during Monday night’s episode before she and Maks were eliminated.

“Mom’s got a Mirror Ball to get, so he can be Mr. Mom,” she said during her pre-dance interview. She called her husband’s elimination “bittersweet” because she thought he did so well last week.

The 98 Degrees frontman said last week that he felt like a “buffoon” before he was eliminated. Nick consistently drew low scores from the judges. His final performance, a Western-style samba, earned only 26 out of 40 points from the judges.

“I feel like a buffoon… I don’t feel like a dancer, I feel like an idiot trying to be a dancer,” Nick told Murgatroyd.

After he was cut from competition, Nick said he was proud of himself and Murgatroyd.

“I went into this thing knowing I wasn’t the best dancer, knowing that it was going to be an uphill climb and I’m very, very proud that we gave it our all and I’m proud that we got to this point,” he said.