THE HONEYMOON’S OVER FOR PETA & MAKS

Six months after they tied the knot, Dancing With the Stars’ Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are struggling

It’s been a year of milestones for Dancing With the Stars pros Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Last January, they welcomed their first child, son Shai. And in July, they married in a fairy-tale wedding at Oheka Castle on New York’s Long Island. “I’ve never seen both of them more in love and more happy than that moment,” gushed DWTS co-star Sharna Burgess.

But nearly six months later, their marriage is in serious trouble, Life & Style has exclusively learned. “Maks and Peta have been fighting for months,” a source reveals. Though they’ve publicly maintained a united front, recently posting on Instagram about spending the holidays in Australia, multiple insiders confirm that behind closed doors, Maks, 37, and Peta, 31, are struggling with everything from his temper and old-fashioned expectations to concerns about his flirtatious nature. “Peta is beyond miserable,” adds an insider. “In fact, they both are.”

GROWING PROBLEMS

As anyone who watches DWTS knows — and as Maks himself has admitted — he can be “difficult.” But lately it’s become a serious issue. “He’s very hot-tempered,” notes the insider, “and has trouble getting along with people.” That includes his wife. “Recently, they were at dinner and argued like crazy in front of people,” the insider says. A main source of their dis- agreement: The UkrainianAmerican dance champ and the New Zealand–born beauty have different visions for their marriage. “Maks has always just wanted a wife who will stay home and cook, clean and take care of the kids,” the insider says. But Peta loves her job and has no intention of giving it up.

A rep for the couple denies there are problems in the marriage, but strain has shown at work. “On the DWTS set, he’s very distant from Peta,” an eyewitness tells Life & Style. “When she tries being affectionate or talking to him, he turns away or ignores her. Then he turns it on hot every time the cameras are on him.” When Maks missed the Oct. 2 show during his feud with partner Vanessa Lachey, “Peta seemed so much more carefree, happy and relaxed,” notes the witness. “She seemed like a different person.”

His lingering reputation as a ladies’ man has also caused friction. “Within weeks of their wedding,” says the source, “Maks was out with his brother [Valentin] and friends in Beverly Hills where he was talking about how hot women were. Poor Peta gets really jealous.”

The source says Peta loves him, but just doesn’t know what to do. “Peta really feels stuck,” says the insider. “She puts up with it, but she’s so unhappy.” If things continue like this, adds the source, “many of their friends worry the marriage may not last.”