DWTS Pro Maks Chmerkovskiy Shares ‘Beautiful Message’

“Dancing With the Stars” professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy has fans in tears over the “beautiful message” he posted about his son, Shai, who turned 6 in January 2023.

Chmerkovskiy Called Shai His ‘Heartbeat’

In a post from their family’s vacation to Turks & Caicos, Chmerkovskiy wrote a tribute to his son, Shai, whom he shares with wife and fellow pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd. In the post, Chmerkovskiy called Shai his “heartbeat.”

Chmerkovskiy’s message reads:

My guy and I. My heartbeat ❤️

This love is unlike anything else and only gets stronger, if you do it right. Fatherhood is easily hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had. Instant reward with best long term ROI though (in my @garyvee voice 😉

Also, a father and a dad are so not the same things. If you have kids, go be amazing at the most important job you’ve ever had.

When Shai turned 6 years old on January 4, Chmerkovskiy posted another message, calling Shai his “kind, smart, beautiful, and incredibly funny” kid.

“You’ve been an amazing part of our life with @petamurgatroyd and we are so proud of the boy you’re growing up to be,” wrote the professional dancer. “I know these 6 years flew by, but I’ve experienced so much happiness just from being around you, so much emotion I’ve never felt before and I will always be there for you for as long as I live. This bond is unlike anything I’ve experienced. This love is heartachingly beautiful. This day is one of my favorite days every single year. I love you beyond words!”

Chmerkovskiy finished by writing, “P.S. Please pause on the whole growing up thing for a moment.”

Fans are Loving Chmerkovskiy’s Message

One fan wrote, “Such a beautiful message,” and another added, “Before I became a parent, my mom would tell me that, I don’t know what love is, until I have children. Well today, I am a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 2, and I find that there are nothing that compares to be more rewarding than being a parent/grandparent.”

“Nothing more inspiring than parents being great at it! I can tell you & Peta are great parents!” wrote a third fan.

A fourth fan wrote, “Hmmm maybe a little sister or brother would be amazing. You guys are such amazing parents!”, and actually, Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd have been trying to have another child for quite a while.

The couple has been open and candid in the past year about their struggles with secondary infertility — i.e., they were able to get pregnant but Murgatroyd miscarried three times in two years, she revealed to People in a June 2022 interview.

Then on July 2022, Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy shared with their fans that they were going to try in-vitro fertilization. After egg retrieval, they shared that they had viable embryos and were just awaiting implantation, but then on August 23, Murgatroyd wrote on Instagram that she went from “one of the happiest days of [her] life” on implantation day to “one of the saddest moments [she’ll] never forget” when she was told that the embryo transfer did not work.

Murgatroyd shared in an interview with People shortly after the transfer didn’t work that they were going to “just take a little break for a couple of months” before they try again.