Peta Murgatroyd facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peta Murgatroyd
Peta Murgatroyd in 2013
Born	Peta Jane Murgatroyd (1986-07-14) 14 July 1986 (age 38) Auckland, New Zealand
Nationality	Australian American (from 2019)
Occupation	Dancer choreographer
Spouse(s)	Maksim Chmerkovskiy ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	3
Relatives	Valentin Chmerkovskiy (brother-in-law) Jenna Johnson (sister-in-law)

Peta Jane Murgatroyd (born on July 14, 1986) is a professional dancer from Australia and America. She is famous for her amazing Latin dance skills. Peta toured the world with a dance show called Burn the Floor, even performing on Broadway. She is best known for being a professional dancer on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. She and her celebrity partners have won the show twice!

Early Life and Dance Training

Peta Murgatroyd was born in Auckland, New Zealand. When she was just 18 months old, her family moved to Australia. Because of this, she feels more Australian. She grew up in Perth, Western Australia.

Peta started learning classical ballet when she was only 4 years old. She trained for 12 years with a famous ballet dancer named Madame Lubov Nikonorenko. But at age 16, an ankle injury stopped her from continuing ballet. That's when Peta decided to try Latin dancing instead.

Peta's Dance Career

After just a few months of learning ballroom dance, Peta became the W.A. Amateur Latin State Champion in 2002. She won this title again in 2003! She also came in second place at the Great World City Championships. Peta quickly found success in other dance contests. She was a semi-finalist in Singapore and a finalist in the Australian Open Championships. In 2005, she placed third in the world at the Blackpool Dance Festival Youth Under 21 Latin competitions.

In 2018, Peta also acted in a movie called Faith, Hope & Love. She played a dance studio owner who teams up with a widower (a man whose wife has died) for an amateur dance contest.

Dancing with Burn the Floor

In 2004, Peta joined the cast of Burn the Floor, a popular dance show. She traveled around the world with them for six years. When Burn the Floor came to Broadway in New York City in 2009, Peta was the main female dancer.

Peta on Dancing with the Stars

Peta joined Dancing with the Stars in 2011. She started as a member of the dance troupe in season 12. By season 13, she became one of the main professional dancers on the show.

Here's a quick look at how Peta and her partners did on Dancing with the Stars:

Season 13: A Quick Exit

In season 13, Peta danced with basketball player Metta World Peace. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the show. This was Peta's earliest exit in the competition.

Season 14: A Big Win!

In 2012, Peta returned for season 14. She was partnered with football player Donald Driver. On May 22, they were announced as the winners of the entire competition! Peta became the second professional dancer to win the show after finishing last in the previous season.

Season 15: Dancing with an Actor

For season 15, Peta teamed up with actor Gilles Marini. They danced their way to sixth place in the competition.

Season 16: The Bachelor Star

In 2013, Peta was back for season 16. Her partner was The Bachelor star Sean Lowe. They also finished in sixth place.

Season 17: Pretty Little Liars

For season 17, Peta was paired with Pretty Little Liars actor Brant Daugherty. They were the sixth couple to be eliminated on November 4, 2013.

Season 18: Reaching the Finale

In 2014, Peta competed on season 18 with Big Time Rush member James Maslow. They made it all the way to the finale, finishing in fourth place.

Season 19: Dancing with a Comedian

For season 19, Peta danced with comedian and actor Tommy Chong. They reached the Semi-finals but were then eliminated, finishing in fifth place.

Season 20: Football Player Partner

For season 20, Peta was partnered with football player Michael Sam. They were eliminated in Week 4, finishing in tenth place.

Season 21: An Ankle Injury

In August 2015, it was announced that Peta would be a pro dancer for season 21. However, before the season started, Peta had to stop because of an ankle injury. She told People magazine that she had four torn ligaments and a floating bone in her ankle. This needed surgery and a long recovery. Peta would have danced with singer Andy Grammer.

Peta did return to the show later in season 21. She performed a salsa dance with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess during the semi-finals.

Season 22: Second Championship!

Peta came back for season 22. She was partnered with deaf model and actor Nyle DiMarco. On May 24, 2016, Peta and Nyle won the competition! They were crowned the season's champions.

Peta did not return for season 23 because she was pregnant.

Season 24: Back with Her Fiancé

In February 2017, Peta and her fiancé, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, announced they would both return to the show. Peta was partnered with The Bachelor star Nick Viall.

Season 25: Another Singer Partner

Peta returned again for season 25. She was paired with 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey.

Season 28: After a Break

Peta came back to the show after taking two seasons off. She was partnered with former basketball player Lamar Odom.

Season 29: NFL Player Partner

Murgatroyd returned for season 29 and was paired with former NFL player Vernon Davis.

Season 31: Another Early Exit

Peta returned to the show after a one-season break. She was paired with actor Jason Lewis. Just like in season 13, they were the first couple eliminated from the show. This was Peta’s earliest exit in the competition again.

Dancing with the Stars: Live! Tours

In April 2015, Peta announced she would join the Dancing with the Stars: Live! "Perfect Ten" tour. This tour happened during the summer of 2015. However, on June 25, 2015, it was announced that Peta would take a short break from the tour due to another ankle injury.

Peta also joined the Dancing with the Stars: Live! "Dance All Night" tour in the winter of 2015–2016. This tour visited 43 cities.

Sway: A Dance Trilogy

In 2014, Peta began performing in a show called Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Westbury, New York. She performed alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Sway is a live ballroom dance show. It stars Maksim, his brother Valentin, and Tony Dovolani. Peta and other professional dancers from Dancing with the Stars also perform in the show.

Peta's Personal Life

Peta used to date Australian professional ballroom dancer Damian Whitewood for five years. They broke up in early 2012.

She then started dating fellow DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy on and off since 2012. In 2015, Maksim confirmed they were dating again. They got engaged on December 5, 2015, when Maksim proposed to her on stage during a Sway: A Dance Trilogy performance in Miami, Florida.

Peta and Maksim have three sons. Their first son, Shai Aleksander, was born on January 4, 2017. Peta and Maksim got married on July 8, 2017, at Oheka Castle in Long Island, New York. In early 2023, they announced they were expecting their second child. Their second son, Rio John, was born on June 18, 2023. On February 5, 2024, Peta announced she was pregnant with their third child. Their third son, Milan Maksim, was born on July 12, 2024.

On October 10, 2019, Peta became a citizen of the United States.

Images for kids

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  Peta Murgatroyd in 2013

See also

In Spanish: Peta Murgatroyd para niños