Biography

Karina and Maksim Chmerkovskiy became engaged in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve [January 5, 2009].

Karina and Maksim Chmerkovskiy broke off their engagement in September 2009.

Dances an improvised piece in the club scene in Shall We Dance? (2004) with real-life dance partner Vyacheslav 'Slavik' Kryklyvyy, who also plays Jennifer Lopez' new Blackpool Standard partner in the final scenes of the same film.

Engaged to MLB player Brad Penny [November 8, 2010].

Karina and Brad Penny broke off their engagement in December 2011.

We were together in Canada only once to film the club scene. Otherwise either Slavik or I would fly to Canada when we had to film our scenes and then fly back to Asia to continue working. It was a lot of extra flying time - which was difficult and tiring - but we were so happy to work on such a big project movie.

Richard was very hardworking. He would spend a whole day dancing and would never complain. And I can assure you that I made sure he had sore muscles.

It was incredibly exciting and we would definitely love to work like this again.

The director met with Slavik and me to look at a piece of Tango that we choreographed for the scene where Jennifer gives Richard a private dance lesson very late in the evening. After we performed the routine for him, the director asked me to read a few lines with the other actors. Then he told me I was in if I wanted the part. How could I refuse?

I was on cloud nine. I could not believe that I would get to meet Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Stanley Tucci and Susan Sarandon. Then Richard came in one day and I had to dance with him just like that. I thought I had died and had gone to heaven.