Real-life lovebirds Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy will return to “Dancing with the Stars” this spring for season 24. They made the announcement on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, February 21 (watch below).
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Murgatroyd won season 22 of the reality dance competition with model Nyle DiMarco — the first deaf contestant ever to win the show — but then she sat out season 23 while pregnant with her first child with Chmerkovskiy. She gave birth to their son Shai Aleksander on January 4, 2017, and now she’s hoping to claim another Mirror Ball Trophy.
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“I’m definitely a little bit nervous but I’m very excited to get back,” said Murgatroyd on ABC’s morning show. “I’ve definitely missed the dance floor. I haven’t been able to defend my title with Nyle, so I want to get back out there.”
While Murgatroyd took last season off, Chmerkovskiy did compete, partnering with model and actress Amber Rose. That was Chmerkovskiy’s first time competing on the show since season 18 when he won the Mirror Ball with Olympic figure skater Meryl Davis. But his comeback was disappointing (he and Rose finished ninth), so now he’s looking for redemption.
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“I’m not at all afraid of this one,” Chmerkovskiy said, teasing his romantic partner and dance rival. “I don’t know if everybody remembers the history, but the last time we were together on the same season I won. This guy is the champ in the family.”
Watch Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy make their “DWTS” announcement below, and discuss this and more in our forums.
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WATCH: @PetaMurgatroyd and @MaksimC announce their return to the @DancingABC ballroom following the birth of their baby. #DWTS pic.twitter.com/nD6rTij210
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 21, 2017
