‘DWTS’ Maks Chmerkovskiy Remembers ‘Wild’ Relationship With Kirstie Alley; ‘I Thought You’d Be Around Forever’
Former Dancing with the Stars pro-Maksim Chmerkovskiy paid tribute to his season 12 celebrity dance partner Kirstie Alley after news of her passing on December 5. He and the former Cheers star were one of the highest-scoring pairs of their season, coming in second place to Hines Ward and Kym Johnson. They also had one of the most tumultuous on and off-camera relationships. In a touching social media post, Maks remembered their “wild” relationship, stating, “I thought you’d be around forever.”
Maks Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley competed on ‘DWTS’ together twice
After competing during season 12 of the then-ABC dance competition series, Kirstie and Maks reunited for the series all-stars season.
Maks discussed his reunion with Kirstie in his TV Guide blog. He wrote, “I am ecstatic to be with Kirstie again. I knew I would be paired with her again. We’re friends and talk frequently, so when the All-Stars season came about, she was like, ‘Do you wanna do this? Do you wanna do this with me?’ I said, ‘Yeah, of course!'”
They were so close that Kirstie dedicated a chapter of her book to Maks: “The Art of Maks.” The 2012 “book is about how men have influenced my life,” she said to People Magazine. “Every chapter is named after an art. He’s the only one that’s the art of a name: The Art of Maks, because he’s a special category. He is a special guy.”
The ‘DWTS’ pro remembered his ‘wild’ relationship with the former ‘Cheers’ star
After learning of Kirstie’s sudden death from cancer, Maks took to Facebook to post his condolences and memories of his former celebrity dance partner.
Maks began his message by writing, “My dearest Kirstie. We haven’t spoken lately, and I’ll tell you everything when I finally see you, but for now, I want to say that I love you very much, and I wish you the most peaceful rest.”
He continued, “You were one of the most unique people I have ever met and easily one of the brightest moments of my personal and professional life. Some of our relationship is heavily documented. Most of it is known to a select few. All of it was like a wild rollercoaster.”
Maks said that as he typed his remarks, memories of their time together rushed through his head. He remembered how “wild” she was, which caused him to tear up, “something you’d absolutely hate. And now I can’t help but smile because I remembered exactly what you wanted me to say at your funeral. Don’t think I can do it here.”
He finished his message by writing, “I thought you’d be around forever. I wish we had spoken often. Thank you for everything. I love you, Kirstie Allie [sic].”
Maks and Kirstie fell out in 2013 after he became friendly with Leah Remini
Leah Remini joined the celebrity cast of Dancing with the Stars after the former King of Queens actor publicly left Scientology. She and Maks became friends, causing Kirstie, a devout follower of the organization, to cut ties with the dance pro.
“I thought we had a great relationship, and if it was something else, I don’t know. But I got a message that now that I’m associating with other people that she can’t be associated with, I am no longer to be spoken with, and sorry, but that is what it is,” Chmerkovskiy said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2014. The former Cheers star then posted an explicit tweet directed at Maks after his appearance on the Bravo nighttime series.
The two butted heads again in late February 2022. Maks was in Ukraine during the early days of Russia’s invasion of the territory. After a five-day trek that included hunkering in bomb shelters, squeezing into trains packed with Ukrainian refugees, and staying awake for one 36-hour stretch, Maks escaped Ukraine and made it to Poland.
People Magazine reported Maks reposted Kirstie’s deleted tweet to his Instagram story on Saturday. She wrote, “I don’t know what’s real or what is fake in this war. So, I won’t be commenting. I’ll pray instead.”
He responded, “No one needs your prayer if you don’t know what’s real or fake.”
