The line-up for the professional dancers who will appear on Dancing with the Stars’ 20th season have been announced, and one mainstay was noticeably absent from the list.
While veterans like Mark Ballas and Kym Johnson are returning, Karina Smirnoff has announced she’s leaving the show after 16 seasons.
Before the announcement, she revealed in a statement to Us Weekly, “Many of you have been asking if I will be back for season 20 of DWTS and I wanted all of my incredible family to hear it directly from me. After a lot of thought and prayer, I've decided to focus my energies on some other exciting endeavors including adding author to my resume."
Smirnoff just released her debut book, We're Just Not That Into You: Dating Disasters From the Trenches. She recently got engaged to Jason Adelman after a few failed engagements, including fellow DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She was also engaged to MLB star Brad Penny.
The pros who will be returning next season in addition to Ballas and Johnson are Tony Dovolani, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Artem Chigvintsev, Allison Holker, Peta Murgatroyd, and Emma Slater.
"I have absolutely loved dancing for all of you for all these years and feel blessed to have been given a platform to put my passion for dance, choreography, and creativity on display," Smirnoff continued. "DWTS has been a huge part of my life for the last 10 years and I will always have a special place in my heart for it."
image via Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com
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