‘Dancing With the Stars’: Peta Murgatroyd Talks a Disney+ Return, Juggling Work and Motherhood, and a Good-For-Your-Skin Tanning Line [Exclusive]
Dancing with the Stars Peta Murgatroyd’s life is similar to many other working moms. She tries to balance after-school activities for her son Shai, a happy marriage, her own business, and performing on the Disney+ series. Add a second pregnancy, and the pro dancer has her hands full. Showbiz CheatSheet recently spoke to the Peta Jane Beauty founder for a frank discussion about balancing it all and the grace to get through the day when things don’t go as planned.
Peta Murgatroyd is a two-time ‘Dancing With the Stars’ mirrorball winner
Dancing with the Stars, viewers know Peta Murgatroyd from her years as a professional dancer on the Disney+ series. Thus far, Murgatroyd has won two mirrorballs since her ballroom television journey began in 2011. She won alongside athlete Donald Driver in season 14, followed by a second mirrorball win alongside deaf actor and model Nyle DeMarco in season 22.
The dance pro’s spouse is Dancing with the Stars alum and mirrorball winner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Together, the two are parents to a son, Shai. She is currently pregnant with their second child.
Along with tending to her family, Peta also runs a beauty line focused on self-tanners. The purpose of the products is not only to look and smell good but to be good for the skin.
Peta Murgatroyd says Peta Jane Beauty’s focus is on skin health
Murgatroyd founded Peta Jane beauty as a “connoisseur” of fake tanning. As a Dancing with the Stars cast member, Peta faced weekly tanning sessions.
Off-camera, she did not achieve the golden, sunkissed color she desired. Therefore, Peta Jane was born from what she felt was an industry need and a desire to produce a product that’s good for the skin and looks good.
“That’s what we really strive to do [with Peta Jane Beauty]. That was the whole, I guess, game plan behind building the company. There were three main points we wanted to achieve,” she explained.
The dance pro continued, “Color was number one; you can’t be orange. It has to look like you’ve come back from vacation. Secondly, it must dry fast, within minutes, not within an hour. Thirdly, it has to smell good.”
Murgatroyd explained to Showbiz CheatSheet that the tanning line’s DHA is organically derived. “It’s made from beets or sugar. And that was very important to me. As consumers, we need to be more health conscious when it comes to slapping stuff on our body that we don’t realize soaks into our system through our skin.”
The beauty line, which currently consists of self-tanners from light to dark, a tanning mitt, and a back applicator, will soon introduce new products. These include a tinted moisturizer and a tan extender, which helps elongate the life of the tan. Murgatroyd hopes these new products and her already good-for-the-skin products help make Peta Jane Beauty a destination for those looking for a golden glow without harmful ingredients.
She admits juggling work, marriage, and motherhood takes ‘balance,’ but doesn’t rule out a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ return
Like most working mothers, Peta Murgatroyd welcomes a “balance” between juggling motherhood, work, and marriage. It’s a delicate tightrope that takes patience, a solid plan, and a calendar that erases.
“There is a balance. You must make it work,” Murgatoyd shared. “There are some days, you know, that I don’t make it work, and it’s very difficult. My plate is very, very full, and being pregnant can make things even harder.”
She continued, “So I think I’ve been doing a great job at compartmentalizing everything with work, my son, getting the lunch ready out the door, you know, loving on my husband. There are multiple aspects of the day that take place.
“Sometimes you fail as many times as you succeed, but I think having a good plan and calendar helps. I need to know what I’m doing the next day. As long as I’ve scheduled everything out, I have every “I” dotted and crossed; everything’s ready,” Murgatroyd shared.
As for a Dancing with the Stars return? That is also on the cards to add to Murgatroyd’s full plate. “I honestly feel like I will want to return,” she admitted.
Murgatroyd elaborated on a potential return to the Disney+ streaming series. “I give birth in June and the show starts in August, early September of this year. I have plenty of time to get myself back in shape. For Shai, I went back seven weeks postpartum.”
She said of the experience, “It was the best thing that I did. I’m a working mom. I had four hours to myself each day to go and dance and teach my celebrity. Then came home and became the best mom that I could be.”
“I love that life. I thrive on doing lots of things and not being stuck at home. 24/7, that’s just me. So I think I will want to do that again if they’ll have me.”
Dancing with the Stars is currently on hiatus. Season 32 is expected to premiere in Sept. 2023.
