Peta Murgatroyd celebrated the return of her husband, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, to Los Angeles after a days-long journey from Ukraine.
The Dancing with the Stars favorite landed in the United States last week on Wednesday where he was greeted by Murgatroyd at the airport.
Peta Murgatroyd Shared Photos of Her Husband’s Return At the Airport and Finally, At Home with Their Son, Shai.
On Saturday, Murgatroyd shared a heartfelt social media post with two images celebrating the return of her husband. The first picture shows the couple in an embrace after Chmerkovskiy safely landed in Los Angeles.
The second image she shared shows Chmerkovskiy and his son, Shai, 5, snuggled up in bed together.
“I never thought our family would be directly affected by this in our lifetime, I never thought what we are seeing on our TVs was a reality in 2022,” Murgatroyd wrote alongside the images. “I have never hugged him so tight. Shaking and forever grateful. Now it’s time to heal. We cannot go back to our normal. Our lives are forever changed. We have a new normal, and that’s ok.”
“Although @maksimc made it home, this DOES NOT mean we aren’t continuing our efforts to provide assistance to the Ukrainian refugees,” she continued. “We have big plans in store and our sole focus is on this war.”
Following the DWTS pro’s return, he has spoken to several media outlets about his harrowing journey from Ukraine to Poland to the United States.
“I just don’t want to resent peace somewhere else because of what I just saw, that’s the reality,” he told Entertainment Tonight, “I don’t know really what to say right this second.”
The 42-year-old dancer had been in his native country of Ukraine filming a World of Dance series for which he was a judge. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of the country in late February, Chmerkovskiy posted regular video updates on his Instagram account to keep fans apprised of the severity of the Russian attack.
While Chmerkovskiy regularly assured viewers that he was physically safe, he did stress the toil the invasion had on his mental health.
“This is a war. This is a crazy situation, it’s insane and I’m losing my final little things,” he shared in an Instagram video on Feb. 27. “This is not a cry for help, I’m a big boy, I can handle myself and as I said, I’m safe. But I’m starting to not be able to see my head, so I’m trying to stay focused and just trying to let my voice be heard.”
It was not the only time he has expressed his swirling emotional state. In an interview with Good Morning America, he expressed survivor’s guilt and a sense of guilt.
"I’m emotional, I can't control it. I cried all the way from the airport."
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 4, 2022
'DWTS' alum and Ukrainian dancer @MaksimC describes to @tjholmes his emotional journey home from Kyiv and what he says it was like on the ground as Russia invaded Ukraine. https://t.co/kWY5S6eOU4 pic.twitter.com/NJog5v9Iin
“I feel guilty. I feel bad,” Chmerkovskiy told GMA. “I feel ashamed. I feel upset.”
“I’m still in a very much in that fight-or-flight [mode]. I’m a big boy, but I know for a fact that I’m going through something mentally because I get into these cry moments, I’m emotional, I can’t control it,” he also said.
“This was not me trying to publicize a situation, this was me trying to cry for help. I literally was just screaming out, ‘Look! This is what I just saw. I just want you to see it wherever you are.’” Maks told GMA.
What a terrifying ordeal to live through. We are happy that this family is safe and reunited. Murgatroyd’s sweet post is the light needed following so much darkness.
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