Season 35 of “Dancing With the Stars” started with some disappointing eliminations. Britt Stewart and Taylor Hanson from the pop-rock band Hanson placed 13th. There was a report that this might’ve been her breaking point, and she’s considering quitting. Stewart, 37, responded to how she feels about being a pro.
Why Britt Stewart Won’t Quit ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Stewart became a “Dancing with the Stars” pro in season 29 and partnered with Johnny Weir. She is the first Black woman pro on the series. The dancer hasn’t broken into the top ten in the competition since her first season, and a rumor started that she was leaving because of that.
“The first thing I thought about when I saw that [report] was when I was approached by a little Black girl at ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ She came up to me and said, ‘You are amazing, good job,’ and I said, ‘Thank you so much,’” Stewart told Cosmopolitan. “I gave her a high-five, but her mom then followed and said, ‘Every time my daughter saw you go on the floor, she just, like, gasped. You being in the ballroom means so much for us and for my little girl.'”
The latest report of her walking away from the series came from The U.S. Sun in September. But Stewart said she isn’t going before reaching her goals and wants to continue that representation.
“When I see something like that [discourse], I just think, you know, that girl would be so disappointed in me if I don’t accomplish what I want to accomplish,” she explained. “I know I haven’t accomplished all that I could.”
An insider told The U.S. Sun that everyone was emotional after her and Hanson’s elimination. Some of them advised her to make a change.
“All of the other pros were supporting Britt but there were some specifically who told her ‘you don’t need this show’ and encouraged her to move on if she wanted to,” the source claimed.
Britt Stewart Is the Mentor of a New ‘DWTS’ Troupe Member
Season 35 introduced Onye Stevenson, Carter Williams, Jaxon Willard, and Kamri Peterson as this season’s troupe. Stewart has mentored Stevenson, 23, since she was 16 years old. She is another Black woman who could become a pro if she continues in this role.
Stewart posted an Instagram video from her trailer on Oct. 29 to talk about her dance career. The “High School Musical” dancer revealed that she wanted a new challenge and worked with Derek Hough on a project.
That allowed her to audition for “Dancing With the Stars.” She didn’t get accepted the first time. But that changed when she was hired for the troupe in 2016. Stewart was a commercial dancer touring with Katy Perry before. So she began training in ballroom dancing while performing as a troupe dancer.
The competition got rid of the troupe, and Stewart went on to choreograph elsewhere. She was then offered the pro role in 2020. Her “Dancing With the Stars” journey is a unique one, and there are no signs of it stopping any time soon.
‘DWTS’ Pro Addresses Rumor That She’s Quitting After Early Eliminations