Karina Smirnoff Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 4 in |
Weight | 55 kg |
Date of Birth | January 2, 1978 |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Karina Smirnoff is a Soviet-born Ukrainian-American professional ballroom dancer, television personality, and actress who is best known for her stint on the dance reality television competition show, Dancing with the Stars, winning the 13th season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. Martinez. Some of her achievements include being a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. In addition to that, she has also appeared in shows and movies like Swing State, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Hannah Montana, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Girls Next Door, Undateable, and The Wendy Williams Show.
Born Name
Karina Smirnova
Nick Name
Karina
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Born Place
Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR, USSR (now Kharkiv, Ukraine)
Nationality
Ukrainian, American
Education
Karina attended many schools such as Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis, Missouri and then, Christopher Columbus High School in The Bronx, New York City. She finally graduated from Bronx High School of Science in NYC.
Subsequently, she double majored in information system programming and economics from Fordham University in New York City.
Occupation
Professional Ballroom Dancer, Television Personality, Actress
Family
- Sibling – She is an only child.
Dance Style
Ballroom and ballet
Manager
Her work and career have been managed by –
- Dmitry Chaplin and Lindsay Rielly Petra Nemcova
- Karina Smirnoff Dance Studio, Dance Studio, Woodland Hills, California, United States
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 4 in or 163 cm
Weight
55 kg or 121 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Karina Smirnoff has dated –
- Michael Yo – American actor Michael Yo dated Karina in the past.
- Andy Baldwin – US Naval Officer, Ironman triathlete, and physician Andy Baldwin dated Karina in the past.
- Slavik Kryklyvyy (2000-2005) – From 2000 to 2005, the two Ukrainian dancers were romantically linked to each other.
- Mario Lopez (2006-2008) – Karina started dating American actor Mario Lopez in September 2006 after meeting him on the set of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS). She was partnered with him in the third season of the show. The duo kept dating until June 2008. They finished second in DWTS.
- Maksim Chmerkovskiy (2008-2009) – Karina again dated another Ukrainian dancer Maksim for more than a year from June 2008 until September 2009. During this time, they also engaged each other on New Year’s Eve on December 31, 2008, in Las Vegas. They met for the first time during the reality dance competition show DWTS.
- Brad Penny (2009-2011) – American baseball player Brad Penny and Karina Smirnoff met each other via a mutual friend Chuck Liddell, who is a UFC fighter. They started dating in October of 2009. After dating for a year, she got engaged to Brad on October 4, 2010. But, like the previous one, this relationship also saw an end in December 2011.
- Arie Luyendyk Jr. (2012) – Karina reportedly dated racing car driver and reality TV personality Arie Luyendyk Jr. in 2012.
- Pablo Schreiber (2014) – Canadian actor Pablo Schreiber and Karina were seen together frequently by paparazzi in early 2014. This romance was very short-lived.
- Jason Adelman (2014-2015) – Entrepreneur Jason Adelman and Karina started dating in 2014. They got engaged in January 2015. But, the engagement was called off by March 2015 and the relationship was off.
- Chad Johnson (2016-2017) – Reality TV personality Chad Johnson and Karina started dating in November 2016. The relationship was short-lived and the couple separated in February 2017.
Note – Karina became a mother of a boy, named, Theo Gabriel in March 2020. The father’s identity has been kept a secret.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Karina has Greek, Jewish, and Russian ancestry.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Measurements
34-24-33 in or 86-61-84 cm
Dress Size
4 (US) or 36 (EU)
Shoe Size
5 (US) or 35.5 (EU)
Brand Endorsements
She has done endorsement work for brands like Bearpaw, Lady Foot Locker, etc.
Religion
Eastern Orthodox
Best Known For
Appearing on ABC’s dance show Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) since 2006. During her first time appearance on this show, she was able to finish second, when partnered with American actor Mario Lopez.
First Film
Smirnoff appeared in the 2004 dramedy (comedy-drama) film Shall We Dance as a dance instructor and was Link’s Pouty’s (played by Stanley Tucci) dance partner.
First TV Show
Before debuting on ABC’s DWTS in 2006, she had already appeared in the TV series Entertainment Tonight as herself.
Personal Trainer
Smirnoff is a regular player on DWTS. So, she is always dancing, which is a big cardio workout. She works out for 6 to 8 hours a day.
As she does a lot of dancing, during her off time, she makes her body to undergo different exercises. This helps her to keep motivated and stays away from boredom. Karina does some stretching in the form of Bikram yoga so that her muscles don’t get used to the usual dancing moves. Her other favorite exercises are hiking and spinning workouts.
She likes to keep herself hydrated with watermelon.
Karina also eats healthy food like steamed vegetables, chicken, fish, and salads.
In her breakfast, she just likes to have her favorite cereal, a fresh fruit, and nuts like almond.
Karina has also released her fitness DVD called Shape Up With Karina Smirnoff.
Karina Smirnoff Favorite Things
- Food – Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch
Source – AXS.com
Karina Smirnoff Facts
- Her family has owned a liquor store in Staten Island in New York City.
- Since the age of 5, she is active in dancing, gymnastics, aerobics, and skating.
- Karina can also play the piano. She took piano lessons as a kid.
- She was 11 years old when she started participating in competitive ballroom dancing.
- At 14 (in 1992), she relocated to the United States to get a better education. At that time, she had no plans of building her career in dancing.
- If she weren’t into dancing, she would probably be an attorney as she was planning to get admission into a law school. But, when she found a dance school (when she was studying at Fordham University) in Brooklyn in New York, her mood and future plans changed.
- She has a pet dog of American Staffordshire terrier breed, named Randy.
- In August 2007, she appeared as Madame Escajeda in an episode titled Everybody Was Best Friend Fighting of the popular Disney Channel teen sitcom, Hannah Montana.
- She has also posed completely n*de for Playboy magazine in their May 2011 issue and then one in a PETA’s advertising campaign.
- Karina won the DWTS dance competition show for the first time in its thirteenth season when she was partnered with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. Martinez. She is continuously appearing in this show since season 3.
- She always steps on the dance floor with her right foot. Did you notice that? She does so as she is superstitious.
- She has been a Blackpool Dance Festival finalist representing the United States with partner Vyacheslav ‘Slavik’ Kryklyvyy and is the first woman to ever make the “British Professional Final” with 3 different partners.
- Besides preparing every dance item on DWTS, she also prepares all of her costumes and/or dresses.
- She likes to do the cooking.
- She has launched her own cosmetics line with Girlactik Beauty.
- She also wanted to have a pilot’s license. Due to that reason, she started taking flying lessons in 2011.
- She just cleans, whenever she is upset or sad.
- She has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and takes Vyvanse to treat it.
- She is afraid of blood and needles.
- Karina likes to do SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving.
- Visit her official website @ www.karinasmirnoff.com.