Longtime “Dancing with the Stars” pros Lindsay Arnold Cusick and Sharna Burgess are stepping back from competing during this season of the show, which is moving to Disney+.
On Wednesday, Arnold Cusick confirmed on her Instagram page that she won’t be a part of the show this fall, while Burgess said she would not be competing, though she will be involved in some capacity.
“I wanted to let you all know that I have decided not to be a part of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ this season. This has been one of the hardest decisions to make but ultimately I have chosen what I feel is best for myself and my family,” Arnold Cusick wrote in her Instagram post. “‘DWTS’ has been a part of my life for over 10 years now and when I say I love the show with all of my heart I mean it!! This show has changed my life forever and will always mean the world to me.”
Arnold said it was important to spend time with her daughter, who is just a toddler. She also noted her husband works in Utah, and “Dancing” films in Los Angeles.
“We exhausted every option we could think of to make it work but at the end of the day none of the options felt good in my heart or felt like the right thing for our lives right now,” she continued. “We are also trying to grow our family and that in itself is a complicated logistical thing as I’m sure many of you understand.”
The pro, who won the mirrorball in 2017 with celebrity Jordan Fisher, said her current departure doesn’t mean she’ll be gone from the show permanently.
“All this being said it’s so important to me that you understand none of this has anything to do with my love for the show as that will NEVER change and it also doesn’t mean that this is the end for me and ‘DWTS,’” she wrote. “Although this decision has been so hard to make I feel so much peace about it and know that it is the right thing to do.”
Burgess, in a series of Instagram stories, similarly cited family concerns as a reason for not taking on a pro role this season. She welcomed a son with Brian Austin Green earlier this summer.
“There has been a list that was released with me saying that I would be a pro and I won’t be, but I will be there in some capacity,” Burgess said. “We’re still talking about that. I am at 100% capacity with my body. I feel fit, I feel strong and so ready to dance. I’m about to go into the gym right now. And we’re going to talk about what that means and how I can be a part of it.”
Later on, after seeing some articles saying she was “exiting” or “quitting” the show, Burgess popped back on to Instagram story to indicate that is not the case.
“No … I’m just spending some time with this guy, right here,” she said, nuzzling her baby boy.