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Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) pro dancers Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov announced they were expecting their first baby in May 2023. The couple, who tied the knot in July 2014, started as dance partners in 2009 after being introduced by their mutual coaches.
Daniella and Pasha announced their pregnancy in a joint statement to PEOPLE. The former stated that her DWTS season 31 dance partner Joseph Baena was unaware of the news and that "he's a sweetheart, and he really was super gentle with me, although he didn't know."
In the interview with the publication, Daniella said:
"We've wanted a family ever since we've gotten married and we've been married for eight and a half years, so we are more than ready to have a baby. We wanted to start planning this year and it just so happened that the timing was absolutely perfect. I actually found out I was pregnant on [DWTS season 31's] premiere day."
DWTS pro dancers Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov have won several international competitions together
Both Daniella and Pasha instantly hit it off when they were introduced to each other by their respective coaches. Pasha needed a new teammate in early 2009 and after she became his dance partner, the duo formed a great chemistry that eventually turned into a real-life romance.
In an interview with Dance Info in 2017, Pasha recalled meeting his dance partner and the love of his life. He said:
“My previous partner went to [join] Dancing with the Stars, so I was looking for a new partner. My Standard coach said to me that I should try to dance with Daniella. I was not sure, as there was six and a half year [age] difference between us.”
However, the Russian native mentioned that irrespective of the age difference, his coach stated that it wouldn't matter, and thus he roped in Daniella to dance with him. The pair instantly connected after a practice session and knew that there was something special between them.
Daniella started dating Pasha a year after spending time with each other amidst their dance training. After four years of dating, the latter popped the question on January 1, 2012, and took their wedding vows two years later.
The then-dancing partners won several international competitions and also made it to the qualifiers of World of Dance season 2 in 2018 before joining the cast of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) the following year. While Pasha then taught Kate Flannery, Daniella danced in the troupe and found her partner in Nelly on season 3 of the dance competition.
Daniella and Pasha celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary in July 2022 and took to the stage as pro dancers on season 31 of DWTS. The New York Native had also won the Mirror Ball trophy the previous season alongside NBA shooting guard Iman Shumpert.
On season 31 of DWTS, which premiered in September 2022, Daniella partnered with Joseph Baena, and they were the fifth pair to be eliminated from the show. Pasha was partnered with reality TV star Teresa Giudice and was eliminated second.
In November 2022, Daniella announced on Instagram that she was expecting her first child with Pasha. She captioned a photo of the couple cuddled up with her holding baby shoes and said:
"Baby Pashkov coming May ’23🤍 We love you more than words could ever express."
In the interview with PEOPLE, Daniella revealed that she had experienced "no nausea since day one," considering her body was so used to dancing. However, she became more aware of her pregnancy while competing during her first trimester. She said:
"My body is just so used to dancing and being active that if I kind of go the other way, it's too much of an extreme for my body. My doctor was like, "The fact that you keep dancing is actually healthy for the baby." That was refreshing to hear."
Before Daniella and Pasha announced the arrival of a new member, fellow pro dancer Witney Carson announced her pregnancy while on the show earlier this month. Val Chmerkovskiy's wife, Jenna Johnson, also didn't compete in season 31 as she was pregnant.
Daniella explained that she would rely on her DWTS family for advice and support as many of them have gone through a similar experience.
