Dancing With the Stars is going to be missing another pro when the long-running ABC competition series returns for its 31st season on Monday, September 19, on Disney+.
Sharna Burgess has revealed that she will not be participating in the upcoming season, telling fans that she is “not ready to spend a minimum of 10 hours a day” away from her newborn son Zane. Speaking in an Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 31, Burgess said she had many conversations with the show’s casting director, Deena Katz, and ultimately she “made the really hard decision to not do this season of Dancing with the Stars.”
“I have some news that I have to tell you guys because I keep getting so many DMs about it,” she stated in the video. “After long conversations and lots of thinking and really trying to sit with what was right, and many conversations with Deena Katz, who’s our casting director but also like a second mom to me, I made the really hard decision to not do this season of Dancing with the Stars. There’s been a list that has been released saying that I would be a pro and I won’t be.”
UPDATE: Contrary to recent reports, Sharna Burgess says she has made the difficult decision to not return to #DWTS for Season 31. Although, she says that she is in talks to return in some capacity. 🪩 pic.twitter.com/xucwUNcbNh
— DWTS Report (@dwtsreport) August 31, 2022
She continued, “I will be there in some capacity, and we’re still talking about that. I’m at one hundred percent capacity with my body. I feel fit, I feel strong, I’m so ready to dance. I’m about to go to the gym right now. We’re going to talk about what that means and how I can be apart of it.”
On June 28, Burgess gave birth to her first child with boyfriend Brian Austin Green. This played a big part in her decision not to return for the show’s 31st season.
“I was not ready to spend at minimum 10 hours a day away from Zane,” she explained. “I say ten hours because it’s not just the time in the room. It’s the travel time, the prep time, the hair and makeup time. Sundays and Mondays are full days away. I’m a full-time breastfeeding mama, and not only that, I just, I am so in love with just being a mom.”
This news comes as fellow DWTS pro Lindsay Arnold Cusick revealed that she also will not be appearing in the upcoming season.
Check out some of the fan reaction to the latest news below.
All the #DWTS drama with sharna and lindsay not coming back this season is sketchy. Both are moms whose reason for not coming back is they don’t wanna be separated fr their babies/families. If Witney’s suddenly next to announce she’s not coming back as well istg
— ʲʰᵃᶜᵏ (@jhackyard) September 1, 2022
Pls let Sofia, Stephani, Hayley, or Alexis get Sharna’s pro spot!
🧡🧡🧡🧡️️️️
@ God @officialdwts @alfonso_ribeiro#DWTS31 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/tNsOYVp4k9— 🦋Claudiaa (@22_claudy) August 31, 2022
Will miss Sharna ok Dwts this season 🙁 #dwts
— Love island and Big brother ️ (@LoveRealityTV4) August 31, 2022
Dancing With the Stars, Season 31 Premiere, Monday, September 19, Disney+