Maks and Peta Dish on the New Season of ‘DWTS,’ Parenthood & Their Latest Collab

Dancing with the Stars returns to ABC for Season 32 on September 26, and we’re thrilled to catch up with DWTS superstars Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd. In a zoom call with Woman’s World, the couple, who have been married since 2017, got candid about raising their two sons, what Maks has been doing since his depart from DWTS — and if he’ll return! — and their new collaboration with Hallmark and Venmo. Here, what Maks and Peta had to say!

Peta talks Dancing with the Stars season 32

Peta Murgatroyd grew up in Australia while her husband, Maks Chmerkovskiy was raised in in the Ukraine with his brother Valentin Chmerkovskiy, also a professional DWTS dancer. While Maks departed the show after season 25 in 2018, his brother Val and wife Peta still compete on the show, and this season find’s Peta paired with former Brady Bunch star Barry Williams.

When asked if Peta has any predictions on season 32, the two-time Dancing with the Stars champion responds, “I can’t say anything until I see everybody premiere night. We can all get a very good idea of the finalists from the first night. That’s where we can first view everybody else’s dances, sort of have our opinion on other people, so I don’t have any predictions yet. I just know that the female celebs are very well versed in dance. There are a lot of them that can actually move.”

As far as advice for DWTS contestants, Peta admits the competition is rewarding but more difficult than people imagine. “Make sure you know what you are signing up for because it’s not two hours a day,” she cautions celebs who might be thinking of entering the ballroom. “It’s minimum five hours a day and usually people clear their schedules for this show because it is very demanding. It is very time consuming, and dancing is not easy. I would say just be prepared for an incredible journey.”

Will Maks return to DWTS?

Maks, who won the Mirror Ball trophy in season 18 with partner Meryl Davis, will not be competing this season. When asked if he’d ever return to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom, he says, “I feel like we’ve moved on. I feel like had I not been married to Peta I would never get this question. I feel like because it’s Peta, Val and Jenna and this is all my family, I will never be disconnected from this project, nor would I want to. It’s something I really am a fan of…I’m a big supporter, but I think that time has moved on. I’m happy with the family and I’m excited about other opportunities — just being open to stuff, but being very selective as to how we want to designate our time moving forward.”

Maks and Peta on the ups and downs of parenthood

During the Zoom interview with Woman’s World, both of their sons join Maks and Peta in front of the camera, as Peta cradles baby Rio, who was born in June, and their adorable six-year-old son Shai, keeps hopping into the scene and smiling.

Peta has been very open publicly about her fertility struggles, and after suffering miscarriages and failed IVF cycles, she so happy to be a mother of two. “The joys of just raising children,” Peta smiles when asked her favorite thing about motherhood. “Their minds are so beautiful and so untouched, so innocent. There’s just so many joys from the laughing to the giggling, to the teaching them every day what little things are. It reminds me also of my childhood and it brings back memories of what I went through as a little girl, going to Disneyland and doing the things that I once did and then sharing those experiences with my children. It’s very special.”

Peta admits that having a second child is very different, “because the first time around, I really had no idea what I was doing. I had to lean on some help.” She continued, “I had never even held a newborn baby before, so I learned as I went along. I feel like this time around I’m definitely more confident in what I’m doing, but in saying that, I have to spread my time now between two, so that’s the battle whenever [there are two] vying for your attention. That’s the hardest thing. Where do we get more time?”

“I pride myself in being hands-on,” Maks adds with grin. “I’ve wanted to make sure I’m able to be with my kids. I don’t need somebody to help me so I’m very confident.”

“I just do my best,” Peta continues. “I take one day at a time. Some days I fail at things. Some days I’m ahead of the game and on top of everything.  There’s so much to do in one day especially with two children and working as well and having a husband even that needs attention too. There’s a lot and you’ve just got to do your best. You’re not going to win every time. So just be prepared.”

Maks and Peta on their latest collaboration

As working parents of two young sons, anything that is time-saving and convenient is very attractive to Maks and Peta. In the hustle and bustle of everyday living, it’s sometimes easier to send a monetary gift swiftly using the digital cash app, Venmo, but for Peta, who still loves the sentimentality of sending a physical card, Hallmark + Venmo is the perfect answer. “I’m huge on handwritten cards and handwritten notes,” shares Peta. “I still have the note from our first date. I’m such a fan of handwritten cards, handwritten notes and just the personalization and the intimacy of that. Seeing somebody’s handwriting that’s super important to me.”

Maks confesses he used to be less sentimental, but his wife has taught him to appreciate cards and notes. “I have to admit, I’ve always treated a card like a vessel for cash,” he says, adding that he routinely would pop money in a card on the way to a celebration. “For Peta, it’s incredibly important, the written message.”

Sentimentality and practicality now come together thanks to a new partnership between iconic greeting card company Hallmark and Venmo. Customers can securely send money with Venmo in a physical Hallmark card. The new Hallmark + Venmo cards eliminate having to worry about lost checks or cash.

“This works for our life,” Peta says of the new Hallmark + Venmo cards. “We give cards for anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, this that and the other and this is just the ultimate convenience of having the personalization of a physical card, plus being able to just scan a code on the inside and you get the money straight into your account.”

“Now it’s the best of both worlds,” Chmerkovskiy agrees. “It’s incredibly convenient.”

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