Daniella Karagach reveals what it’s like competing against her husband Pasha Pashkov on ‘DWTS’
Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov’s relationship gets a perfect 10 score.
The couple tied the knot in 2014 and have continued to dance through life as husband and wife and work together on the hit ABC show “Dancing with the Stars.”
But there’s one catch: Karagach and Pashkov compete against one another.
However, the Dainty founder wants fans to know that she and her other half are always in sync.
“I think that first of all, it’s never been a competition between the two of us because we’re always helping each other,” Karagach told The Post in an exclusive interview Monday. “That’s just pure honesty. And when you’re in the competition — 100 percent transparency — all you can think about is your own partner and making sure that week to week, they’re remembering the choreography and not forgetting their steps.”
“So you are so in the moment,” she added, “and you are so focused on just surviving each day with your partner that I don’t think you can care less about what the other person is doing.”
The duo joined the cast of “DWTS” in 2019 and have hit the ballroom every year since, with Karagach coming to learn that “during the season, you are so focused on what you and your own partner are doing.”
“You literally don’t have time to think about anyone else or anything else,” the pro dancer confessed. “So you are purely on survival mode.”
And for Karagach, having your real-life partner on the show makes it that much sweeter.
“To be honest, having my partner in the competition like my spouse is so amazing and so helpful because I get to know that if I need a tweaking here and there, or if I need help, he is always willing to help me and vice versa,” she gushed. “If he needs help, I’m right there, so it’s so nice to have your person with you and doing the whole process with you.”
The process is a grueling one. Not only are the pros creating the dances for themselves and their celebrity partners, but the pairs are also in rehearsals throughout the week.
And then, of course, there are the live performances once, sometimes twice, a week.
As for how Karagach stays competition ready? The businesswoman explained, “I feel like the key to staying in shape for me personally is just consistency. I am, no matter if I’m on the season or if I’m at home I’m always very active.”
Karagach, who shares one-year-old daughter Kiki with Pashkov, noted that staying in the groove is very important in her daily life.
“I feel that just keeps me in a little bit of a routine,” continued the influencer. “The moment I don’t go into the studio or to the gym, I feel so sluggish. So, I try to just stay as active as possible. I’m probably in the gym like four to five times a week, just a little bit each time. But it just helps me keep going.”
And fans hope to see Karagach return to the dance floor on Season 33, which premieres Tuesday, Sept 17.
Although the mom-of-one hasn’t found out who she’s paired with yet, she did take a moment to reveal which celebrity she would love to see bust a move on the competition series.
And her answer earned her brownie points in the wife department.
“Probably never going to happen, but I would personally love Messi. Lionel Messi just because my husband’s obsessed with him,” shared Karagach. “I’ve said it before, it’s like the obsession is real. Pasha, if he can do anything, he’d probably play soccer if he wasn’t dancing. So he’s obsessed with him and I’d be wanting to dance with him just so Pasha can meet him.”
She also has a dream partner in mind for herself.
“For myself, honestly, I have to say I loved having an athlete,” she reflected. “Their mentality is so different, and all you have to do is just have the right mentality coming in this competition. And I’ll teach you how to dance. That’s what I love to do. So I would say maybe an athlete. I know I’ve said Zac Efron in the past. Please, by all means, if he’s ready to do the show, I’m here for it. But just probably an athlete.”
Karagach is no stranger to working with sports professionals, as she won the Mirrorball trophy with former NBA star Iman Shumpert on Season 30.
As it turns out, when the entrepreneur first met Shumpert, 34, she didn’t quite know who had just waltzed in the door.
“So I don’t follow sports really closely,” Karagach recalled. “ So when Iman walked in, I was like, ‘This guy’s so tall. He’s so cool.’ I love his personality, but I’ve never watched him play basketball, so I didn’t really know him. It was fun getting to know him.”
In fact, that led the ballroom star to score points in the former Cleveland Cavaliers player’s eyes.
Karagach explained: “He was like, ‘It’s actually kind of refreshing that you don’t really follow sports and know my history because it’s kind of like we’re just starting clean and you can just teach me how to dance.’”
She noted, “I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’m here to do!”
