Maksim Admits Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

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Maksim Admits Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Tue., Sep. 8, 2009 8:55 PM PDT by Natalie Finn and Ashley Fultz

Maksim Chmerkovskiy doesn't seem to like it rough.

"It's a little rough right now," the Dancing With the Stars pro acknowledged this afternoon when E! News caught up with him outside 3rd Street Dance Studio in West Hollywood. We asked Maks how he's been doing since he and fellow hot-stepper Karina Smirnoff called off their engagement.

Questions about the permanence of the split and Maks and Karina's plans to dance at the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20 went unanswered—but his point came across.

It's hard to say what was the final straw for the too-cute couple, who as recently as last week were planning a June 2010 wedding.

We know that breaking up is about as fun as teaching Tom DeLay how to quickstep. But at least Maks has Madonna's kind words to comfort him in these hard times.

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They aren't life partners, but they're going to hoof it out on Dancing With the Stars together until elimination do them part: Check out this season's celeb-pro pairings!