Who Is 'DWTS' Pro Daniella Karagach? Here's everything you need to know about the ballroom dancer ahead of Season 28’s premiere.
Get your dancing shoes on because ABC has officially announced the lineup of celebrities who will put their ballroom skills to the test on Season 28 of Dancing With the Stars.
While we’re excited to watch reality stars such as Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown and Bachelorette Hannah Brown compete for the Mirrorball trophy, viewers will also see some new pros on the dance floor.
Joining the group of professional dancers on Season 28 is ballroom champion Daniella Karagach and her husband Pasha Pashkov. These two pros definitely know a thing or two about competitions. The real-life couple competed last year on Season 2 of World of Dance. So, here’s what to know about the Brooklyn native ahead of her Dancing With the Stars debut.
Who is Daniella Karagach from Dancing With the Stars? She toured with Derek Hough this past summer.
The ballroom champion made quite the impression on World of Dance judge, Derek Hough. After working together on his “Natural” video, Daniella told Dance Network that Derek asked her to join him on his Live! Tour.
“I was a little hesitant because I am still competing. I compete with my husband, who is also my partner. Basically, we had to weigh out a lot of things. It was difficult, but then again, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said in the interview. “You're not going to get many of these opportunities and competitions will always be there.”
She added, “You can't really say no to it, you know? And Derek is amazing, so it's a great experience.” Most recently, Daniella showed off clips of her dance moves from the tour, captioning the video, “Last night I had the honor of performing at the Macy’s 4th of July Spectacular with @derekhough and these gorgeous dancers.”
Here’s how Daniella and her now-husband Pasha met.
According to Dance Spirit, the pro-dancer and her beau met when she was 15 years old. “My coaches warned me that because I was so young and he was a top dancer in the finals already, people might not respect us as a compatible pair,” she explained in regard to their seven-year age difference. Eventually, the two went on to win numerous national championships — and each other’s affection.
Yes, Pasha and Daniella are married. The couple tied the knot in 2014 and recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in July. “Happy Anniversary @pashapashkovofficial I love you more than peanut butter, and Cheetos,” she captioned a series of pictures. “You are my happiness and I couldn’t picture life without you. To many more adventures, ‘Hulu and chills,’ Wine dates on the beach, and appreciating each other.”
You should definitely follow Daniella on Instagram.
If you stalk the dance pro on Instagram (like we did), you’ll see that she regularly posts pics with her hubby. Though, the blonde beauty initially did not think the two would ever end up together.
"It is funny, because my mom, just before [we tried out together], was asking: 'What if you start liking him. What if you start having feelings for him?' And I was like, 'No way, he is so old! It's never going to happen,'" she confessed.
You’ll also catch Daniella posting dance videos, behind-the-scenes clips from her competitions and shows, and snaps of her travel diaries. Basically, we're already rooting for her this season!
Catch the Season 28 premiere of Dancing With the Stars on Monday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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