DWTS Pro ‘Grieving’ in emotional post from her son

ABC

A Mirrorball Trophy winner mourns the loss of a family member.

Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd is still dealing with the recent death of her father, Derek Murgatroyd, who died on December 29 in her native Australia.

Peta Murgatroyd posted a photo of her son Shai and wrote that her heart is ‘sorrowing’

On Instagram on December 29 Murgatroyd revealed that her father had died. A few days later, she posted a photo of her 6-year-old son Shai on the beach, writing that while she’s still “grieving,” her son is “soothing” her soul.

Murgatroyd wrote:

Collecting shells this morning with my favorite boy… soul calms… heart mourns. My father’s greatest love was the sea.

Happy New Year everyone.

In the comments, Murgatroyd’s “Dancing With the Stars” family left their messages of love and support. Her husband, a “Dancing With the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy wrote“I love you.”

Former pro Kym Johnson Herjavec added“Sending you lots of love.”

“Thinking of you and sending prayers” wrote Alfonso Ribeiro’s wife Angela.

Pro Koko Iwasaki and contestant Amanda Kloots also left heart emojis for Murgatroyd’s loss.

Peta’s father always called her his ‘favorite baby’

When he died, Murgatroyd wrote a tribute saying she hoped she had made him proud and that she would love him “until the 12th of never”.

Murgatroyd wrote:

To The Greatest Dad, my teddy bear.

This is the end of our journey to the earth side. Oh how I wish we could do this boat trip again. In the next life we ​​will.

That glimpse of each other was captured perfectly, you were so content, at sea, where you were always meant to be.

But I know that you will keep riding with me until I see you again.

I hope I have made you proud in these 36 years. You were my everything and I will miss you until my days here are over.

I will carry the warmth of your hand in my heart forever.

She ended the post by writing, “Always your ‘favorite baby’ as you would say. I love you until the 12th of never. Forever daddy’s girl. Derek John Murgatroyd 7/22/1941 ~ 12/29/2022.”

She saw him one last time before he died. On December 10, Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy announced on their social channels that she had flown back to Australia to see her father and spend time with her family.

“I’m flying to Australia tonight. “I have some things to do in Australia with my dad so I’m going for a week,” Murgatroyd said meanwhile an Instagram Live Q&A.

Murgatroyd did not address her father’s condition, but in May 2022 she did tell her followers that her father has an illness that she did not disclose.

“I flew to Australia to be with my family. Sorry I was MIA I just don’t have it in me to be here now. My dad isn’t well so I just want to spend every minute with him, and of course my mom and brother,” she said on her Instagram Stories.

Murgatroyd and her father were obviously close. She posted on Father’s Day 2020 a tribute to him on Instagram along with a series of photos of them and she captioned it: “I love you so much. you mean the world to me Happy Father’s Day to the best dad and one who has always shown me love and guidance through kindness and selflessness. I can’t wait to see you again.”