Maks Chmerkovskiy Recalls Arguing with Kirstie Alley About His 'Flirty' Actions During “DWTS” (Exclusive)

The dance pro opens up about Alley and their time being partnered together on the reality competition show in PEOPLE's exclusive look at the new episode of 'Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone'

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is remembering an argument he had with the late Kirstie Alley while the two were partnered on Dancing with the Stars.

In PEOPLE's exclusive look at this Sunday’s episode of Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone, Chmerkovskiy recalls how Alley, who died in December 2022 at age 71 from cancer, once misinterpreted their “lack of personal space” during DWTS rehearsal as being “flirty.”

“[Alley] is like, 'You're so flirty,'” he tells Stone of their interaction. “I'm having a heart attack, because I don't know what else to do. How to figure this out. I'm sitting here, ripping my hair out. She's like, 'You’re so flirty.' I'm like, 'I'm not flirting with you.' Why would you say that? She's like, 'Well, look at where your hands are?' I'm like, 'Where's my hand?' 'It's on my butt.'”

The DWTS alum had to explain to the late actress that his hand placement simply had to do with where her “center of gravity” was.

Related: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Reflects on Fractured Friendship with Kirstie Alley: 'I Wish We Spoke Often'

“I'm like, 'It's on the part where your center of gravity is, at a place where I can move you,” he continues. “I'm like, my hands are not on your shoulder, cuz you're going to keel over. Like I’ve gotta move that, you know. So where do you think my hand should be?"

"She’s standing like, 'You're an a------.' I'm like, 'What? I'm explaining factually like what I'm doing,'” he recalls. “So, you know, just because you're not used to that hand placement doesn't mean that we're having this flirtation, right? But if this is not communicated, she's walking away thinking, 'Oh, my God. He's hitting on me. He's hitting on me the entire rumba.' I'm like, 'No I'm not! I'm just trying to make it look like a rumba.'”

Chmerkovskiy and Alley first partnered together on DWTS for season 12 and once again in season 15 for the all-stars edition.

Shortly after she died in December 2022 at age 71 from cancer, the ballroom dancer honored the late actress with a moving Instagram post featuring a photo of them on the dance floor.

“You were one of the most unique people I have ever met and easily one of the brightest moments of my personal and professional life,” he wrote in the caption, adding, “As I’m typing this, memories of our time together rush to my head, I remember how absolutely wild you were and I start to tear up. Something you’d absolutely hate. And now I can’t help but smile because I remembered exactly what you wanted me to say at your funeral. Don’t think I can do it here…”

Related: Remembering Kirstie Alley's Life in Photos

Though Chmerkovskiy and Alley shared a special bond, their friendship after DWTS hit rough patch in February 2022, when the dancer called out Alley over her tweets about the Ukraine war.

"I don't know what's real or what is fake in this war," she tweeted then. "So I won't be commenting. I'll pray instead."

Chmerkovskiy, who was born in Ukraine and was in the country during the Russian invasion, criticized Alley at the time in a now-deleted tweet which he reposted in an Instagram Story.

"We haven't spoken in a while, but I clearly remember being right next to you while you were organizing trucks of aid during Hurricane Sandy and I remember all that you were saying to me about situations where innocent are suffering,' he wrote, alongside a screenshot of her tweet, adding, "That same energy is needed right now. No one needs your prayer if you don't know what's real or fake."

But in his Instagram tribute to Alley in December 2022, Chmerkovskiy acknowledged there was more to their friendship than what the public saw.

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"Some of our relationship is heavily documented. Most of it is known to select few. All of it was like a wild rollercoaster," he wrote, adding, "I thought you'd be around forever. I wish we spoke often. Thank you for everything. I love you Kirstie Alley."

Despite their disagreements, Chmerkovskiy clearly left a positive impression on Alley. The actress told PEOPLE in 2012 that her memoir The Art of Men (I Prefer Mine al Dente), which published that same year, was about “how men have influenced my life.”

"Every chapter is named after an art,” she said. “[Chmerkovskiy] is the only one that's the art of a name. 'The Art of Maks,' because he's a special category. He is a special guy.”

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