Tag Archives: Ukraine

DWTS’s Maksim Chmerkovskiy was the only man on train fleeing Ukraine

Dancing With The Stars’ pro-dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy was born in Ukraine yet now has US citizenship. His parents emigrated to the US in 1994 and the 42-year-old lives in the US with his wife and son. His dancing skills have earned him a net worth of $8 million.

The money didn’t save him from feeling embarrassment and guilt in fleeing his home country. From Daily Mail:

“Days after returning safely to the United States from war-torn Ukraine, Maksim Chmerkovskiy is dealing with survivors guilt, he told GMA on Friday.

The 42-year-old DWTS pro revealed that the trauma he experienced after Vladimir Putin laid siege on the sovereign nation is ‘very difficult to process.‘ 

Maks was in Kyiv working on a television show when Russian forces invaded and he fled the country on a packed train of ‘only women and children’ refugees. He admitted to feeling guilt and shame for being able to escape the violence. 

I get into these crying moments. I can’t control it. I cried on the way from the airport,’ he said. 

Read the whole story here.

If I had guilt and shame, I’d be speaking with a close friend instead of advertising it on social media and giving a national TV show interview. But I’m not an entertainer.

DCG