Karina Smirnoff Became a First-Time Mom at 42 — inside the DWTS Alum's Personal Life

"Dancing With The Stars," alum Karina Smirnoff became a mother for the first time at the age of 42 and welcomed her son, Theo Gabriel, in April 2020.

Dancer Karina Smirnoff always wanted to be a mother, and this year her dream finally came true. The "Dancing With The Stars" alum first announced her pregnancy in December 2019, with a sweet Instagram post.

The dancer, who has kept the identity of her son's father a secret, shared the first snap of her seven-month-old son's sweet face for the first time on Instagram on November 4, 2020.

THE GREATEST DREAM

The woman who's reached the finals of the ballroom world championship, has innumerable dancing trophies, including the coveted Mirrorball Trophy from dancing with the stars, has always wanted children.

This was a dream Karina had often confided, but fans were stunned when she revealed her pregnancy through an Instagram post in December 2019, sharing a photo of herself holding a pregnancy test and smiling happily.

Karina expressed her joy at the news, and pledged to donate $5,000 to Resolve, an organization dedicated to helping people with infertility issues achieve conception. The dancer said at the time:

"I've always wanted to be a mom. I have so many emotions that I'm going through. I'm nervous, excited, over the moon happy, and overwhelmed."

But if fans thought Karina's Instagram would be flooded with snap after snap of her burgeoning baby bump, they were in for a disappointment. The dancer rarely shared photos of herself during her pregnancy.

One rare exception was the day before her son was born, in which she shared a snap of herself in her hospital room, wearing a giant oversize T-shirt, a hospital bracelet, and an anxious smile. No spangles and no cha-cha-cha.

The dancer's last known serious relationship was with fellow dancer Justinas Duknauskas

WELCOMING THEO GABRIEL

Even though the media had been announcing the birth since April 1, 2020, on April 8, Karina made it official. She shared a photo of Theo's tiny feet on Instagram accompanied by the caption:

"Welcome to the world Theo Gabriel! ???"

THEO'S MYSTERY DAD

Karina announced Theo's arrival, but not who his daddy is. The dancer's last known serious relationship was with fellow dancer Justinas Duknauskas, and in July, she and Theo were seen out with him.

This spawned the rumor that Duknauskas is Theo's father, but another strong contender is former fiancé, entrepreneur Jason Adelman. The couple announced their engagement in 2015 and broke up soon after.

THE DANCE OF LOVE

Karina had dated former "Dancing with the Stars" partner and actor Mario Lopez, before becoming engaged to fellow "DWTS" dancer and fellow Ukrainian Maksim Chmerkovskiy in 2009, but called off the engagement a year later.

In 2010, Karina started dating MLB pitcher Brad Penny, and it wasn't long before the besotted baseball player was down on one knee asking for her hand in marriage. Sadly, once again, the relationship fell apart, and Karina called it quits before walking down the aisle.

Dancing has been the center of Karina's world, but she is also devoted to her family. The Smirnoffs moved to the US when Karina was 15, and settled in Staten Island where her parents own a liquor store.

Karina's mother is a devout Christian and one of the dancer's favorite rituals, when she is in Staten Island, is going to church with her. Theo has just expanded the tiny family of three -- and one dog -- to four, and Karina may be planning more children.

Dancing is a consuming life, with relentless rehearsal routines, and a lot of traveling involved, which may not be easy to maintain with a tiny baby.

Karina previously collaborated with cosmetics brand Girlactik Beauty, so she may be open to a similar partnership in the future. She is currently involved with the online dance platform, AirDance.

One thing Karina has made clear: her priorities have changed. The driven dancer is now a devoted mother to her adorable baby boy, whom she has revealed is her "everything."