Peta Murgatroyd said she’s ‘going through hell right now’ as her husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy remains in the Ukraine, four days into Russia’s military assault on the country.
Murgatroyd, 35, took to Instagram on Sunday with an emotional message in which she shared that an empathetic group of strangers had made a kind gesture to her amid the absence of her husband, 42, who is in his native country to work as judge on Dancing With the Stars Ukraine.
‘Although I’m going through hell right now and I want it all to end…[there] is light that shines through the darkness,’ said Murgatroyd, who is mother to five-year-old son Shai with Chmerkovskiy, who she wed in July of 2017.
The latest: Peta Murgatroyd, 35, said she’s ‘going through hell right now’ as her husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, remains in the Ukraine, four days into Russia’s military assault on the country. The couple was seen earlier this year
Murgatroyd, an alum of Dancing With the Stars, remains at the family’s home in California amid the uncertain time. She said that strangers baked her cookies ‘and proudly brought them to [her] door.
‘They stood there with smiles so wide. Let me repeat … strangers, whom I don’t talk to thought that they should get in their kitchen and bake me cookies,’ she said. ‘They also took it upon themselves to google if I was allergic to anything, just to make sure they weren’t hurting me.’
Murgatroyd said she ‘welled up’ as the people let her know they were there for her, adding, ‘I’m a cancer by zodiac … I’m already emotional and these acts of kindness push me over the edge.’
Chmerkovskiy responded, ‘I love you and I’ll see you soon! Save me a cookie.’
Murgatroyd took to Instagram on Sunday with an emotional message in which she shared that an empathetic group of strangers had made a kind gesture to her amid the absence of her husband
Chmerkovskiy, who is in his native country to work as judge on Dancing With the Stars Ukraine, has been unable to leave the region amid national mandates and safety concerns
Murgatroyd expressed her gratitude to all who have sent positive messages to her in recent days, saying, ‘It’s beyond and it means the world to me.’
She said: ‘Thank you to EVERYONE who has reached out, whether it be by text/calls/DM’s/email/comments/street/post office….people I haven’t spoken to in 15 years have found me on social just to pray for me.’
Murgatroyd has been vocal on social media in recent days about her personal situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
She said in a post on Thursday: ‘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 said that Chmerkovskiy was safe, adding, ‘Please pray that he comes home soon,’ as well as for the well-being of the Ukraine and the ‘innocent civilians [whose] lives are being uprooted.’
Hannah Brown, an alum of The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars, took to social media Sunday to urge people to pray for the couple and Ukrainians during the conflict.
Chmerkovskiy has provided frequent social media updates amid the conflict
Chmerkovskiy urged the Russian people to abandon support for their leader amid the invasion
Chmerkovskiy has also provided frequent social media updates amid the conflict, as he said Thursday he had not attempted to leave the country due to safety concerns around the border of Poland. The professional dancer said he felt his odds for departure from the Ukraine were helped in having an American passport.
Amid the Russian invasion, Ukrainian officials have mandated men between the ages of 18 and 60 to remain in the country if they are needed for battle, and have restricted them from crossing borders into other countries, Reuters reported.
Chmerkovskiy added that the conflict had taken an emotional toll on him, as he said he ‘will never be the same’ in the wake of the invasion.
‘This is stressful and I’m getting old feelings back, like I’ve done this before,’ he said Thursday. ‘This does feel like the way it was when and why we left in the 90s. Like my old PTSD I’ve finally fixed is coming back.’
On Sunday, Chmerkovskiy took to Instagram Stories with a number of messages, urging people in the dance community in European countries to help take care of refugees if they were able to. He shared a number of links to resources to help people exit safely amid the ongoing military conflict.
Murgatroyd shared a post with multiple candles lit in prayer of her husband’s safe return
Hannah Brown, an alum of The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars, took to social media Sunday to urge people to pray for the couple and people of Ukraine
Chmerkovskiy also wrote, ‘Russia needs a revolution!!! Russian people are being lied to!!! Russians! Wake up! It will take you generations to get over this and generations of people around the world will never forgive you!!!’
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to put nuclear weapons on enhanced alert for ‘special regime of combat duty’ amid heightened tensions with Europe and the United States following the invasion.
Putin cited aggression toward Russia from NATO as well as economic sanctions and moves shutting down Russian banking institutions using the banking system SWIFT.
The U.N. Security Council is slated to hold an emergency meeting regarding the invasion Monday.