‘DWTS’ Pro Peta Murgatroyd Pleads for Husband Maks Chmerkovskiy’s Safety as He Remains in Ukraine

Peta Murgatroyd is asking for prayers for husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy as he continues to share updates from Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. The Dancing With the Stars pro took to Instagram Thursday with a plea for her followers as she prays for the safe return of her husband, with whom she shares 5-year-old son Shai.

“Please pray for my husband Maks. I don’t usually ask these things from my social media network, however today is extremely hard and the next few will be even harder,” she wrote. “My pain is overwhelming and I’m struggling, but you sending your positive light and love to him would mean the world to me. Truly, I wish for nothing more.”

The dancer continued, “Many of you are asking for details and I don’t have the answers, but yes, he is safe right now. Please pray that he comes home soon. Please pray that he has a swift, safe exit. I have FAITH. I have HOPE and I have PRAYED so hard.” Murgatroyd concluded with a request that people pray for Ukraine and innocent civilians whose lives are being “greatly uprooted” in this “unfathomable situation.” Chmerkovskiy responded in the comments simply with a crying emoji and red heart.

Chmerkovskiy previously shared an emotional update Thursday from near the center of Kyiv, where military sirens could be heard in the background. “I’m in Kyiv, contrary to what I probably should’ve done a while ago … and not that no one saw this coming, but everybody was hoping that the finality of this situation would be averted, that there wasn’t going to be these kind of aggressive measures,” the Ukrainian-born dancer said. 

He grew teary as he panned around the city to show the reality of what was happening. “You know me – I stay strong, and I don’t show it,” he said of his emotional response. “But I want to go back home. And I realize that I have the way to – I realize that I have a different passport, and my family is far away.”

Spending about six months back in his home country was a “f-king incredible pleasure,” he continued. “I know who this country is, what it represents, what it stands for. And it’s completely not what is being portrayed to the Russian people in order to justify this invasion.” Chmerkovskiy assured followers in a video later that day that he was “safe,” packed and in a hotel with a bomb shelter, but many people were not. “I’m going to try and keep you guys updated and show you what it’s really like, but the reality is it’s exactly what it looks like on TV,” he said.