The Heartbreaking Text Maksim Chmerkovskiy's Wife Wrote Him
We've all been touched by the disturbing news out of the war in Ukraine, which only seems to keep getting more and more tragic. But sometimes the tragedy hits closer to home than normal — especially for families like "Dancing With the Stars" couple Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd. The married "DWTS" pros had a harrowing experience we wouldn't wish on anyone when Maks, who is Ukrainian, was forced to flee the country right as the Russian invasion began.
Maks chronicled his escape on his Instagram, keeping his fans, followers, and loved ones as updated as he could while he got to safety. Luckily, Maks did manage to get out safely and get back home to California with his family, but it was a dangerous journey. Everyone was worried about the professional dancer and reality TV star, but perhaps no one was as scared for him as his wife. In a recent interview, Peta shared the heartbreaking text message she wrote to her husband as soon as she got the news.
Peta Murgatroyd says she almost sent Maks Chmerkovskiy a 'goodbye' text
At the New You Magazine Beauty Awards, where Peta Murgatroyd was accepting an award, she told ET about the day she learned of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that her husband, Maks Chmerkovskiy, was preparing to flee. "To get the phone call and to see him frantically packing his bags trying to get out of the hotel was just like, I had a heart attack nearly," she said. "I had to sit myself down and calm down for him." She added that in the few days that Maks was still working on getting out of the country, she almost sent him a final goodbye message. "I mean, I literally wrote him a text, almost a goodbye text like if something happens," she said.
It's a huge relief she didn't need to say a last farewell in the end, but it's clear that neither Maks nor Peta has fully recovered. Soon after getting back to the United States, Maks turned right back around and flew to Poland to volunteer with refugees escaping Ukraine, as he just did. Talking to CNN, Maks said that after a few weeks with his family, he admitted that he "spent the last couple of days with survivor's remorse" before ultimately deciding to go back and help.