Maks Chmerkovskiyis holding down the fort at home while his wifePeta Murgatroydcompetes onDancing with the Stars.
Speaking with PEOPLE following Tuesday night’sHalloweenshow, Murgatroyd, 37, opened up about how supportive her husband has been when it comes to looking after their two sons:Rio John, 4 months, andShai Aleksander, 6½.
“He’s on daddy duty full time right now,” says the pro dancer, who is partnered withThe Brady BunchactorBarry Williams. “He’s trick-or-treating with Shai. So it’s the first year I haven’t actually been there, but he’s doing a great job."
She adds of Chmerkovskiy, 43, “He’s always supporting. He loves Barry. He’s rooting us on always. So he’s the best.”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Peta Murgatroyd Instagram
Murgatroyd also opened up about her partnership with Williams, 69, telling PEOPLE that it “wasn’t hard” to build their bond. “Barry is just the best guy to be with for six hours a day, and it was a very natural connection from the beginning,” she says.
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Next week, the duo will take on the quickstep, and Murgatroyd tells PEOPLE that the pair has a challenging few days in store.
“I’m going to be teaching Barry a lot of new moves this week and we’ve got the team dance also, so it’s going to be a very big week for us,” she says. “But I think we’re going to be okay.”
Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd performing onDancing with the Stars.Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
Murgatroyd returned to the dance floor three months after welcoming Rio in June. And just days after his birth, she and herDWTSalum husband had exclusively introduced the little one via PEOPLEand revealed his name.“We loved Rio, which we came upon at the last minute. It’s a perfect complement to our long surname!” Murgatroyd said at the time. “We also wanted something easy to say with Shai.”
Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy first met onBroadwayin 2009 and started dating in 2012. They went on to welcome Shai in January 2017, and tied the knot that July.
That same year, Chmerkovskiy leftDWTSafter 12 years on the show and later explained that his growingfamily had contributed to his decision.
“I’m a dad, I’m a husband,” he said during an appearance onThe Real, adding that “your chemistry changes when you have a child — things look different, they seem different.”
However, the pro dancer didreturn to the ballroomearlier this season to pay a touching tribute to late head judgeLen Goodman, whodied in April at age 78.
Chmerkovskiy joined fellow alumsKym Johnson-Herjavec,Tony Dovolani,Karina Smirnoff,Anna Trebunskaya,Edyta Śliwińska,Louis van AmstelandMark Ballas, along with the show’s current pros, for a beautiful dance tribute to Goodman.
source: people.com
