A fan favorite “Dancing with the Stars” pro shared a post on social media that prompted a huge response. Not only did DWTS fans love the message that Emma Slater shared, but her colleagues and boyfriend did too.
Emma Slater Embraced Her Strong Legs
On January 26, Slater shared four photos in a post on her Instagram page. Each of the photos were snapped during a tour performance in a number she does with “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy.
The costume that Slater wears showcases her muscular legs, and it was those legs that were the focus of Slater’s caption.
Slater wrote, “To all my ladies who feel self conscious about their strong legs, let’s get them out more in 2026.”
She added, “You’re a baddie exactly the way you are.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” pro credited photographer and videographer Joe Duarte for the incredible images. Duarte notes on his Instagram page that he is currently traveling with the “Dancing with the Stars” tour.
Slater is dating fellow “Dancing with the Stars” pro Alan Bersten, who is also on the tour. He commented, “I love your legs,” adding in a string of red-heart emojis. His response received over 4,400 “likes” as fans went wild over his supportive note.
In response to Bersten’s comment, a fan added, “Real women have strong legs.”
Chmerkovskiy’s wife, and fellow show pro, Jenna Johnson commented, “Baddie bawdy goals.”
Peta Murgatroyd added, “Sculpted as F,” with several fire emojis.
Former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Danica McKellar commented with several raised hand emojis, and season 34 contestant Danielle Fishel wrote, “Literally saved one of these pics as leg inso for myself!”
Another former show pro, Lindsay Arnold, gushed, “I LOVE YOUR LEGS EMS.”
The ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Has Opened up About Her Strength & Self-Consciousness Before
This was not the first time that Slater had shared a vulnerable post regarding feeling self conscious about her physique. One of her pinned Instagram posts, initially shared in June 2025, contained a similar message.
The photo Slater included in that post also highlighted her muscular legs. She wrote, “When this photo was taken I think 2.5 years ago I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t think it was feminine and I looked at myself through a lens of self judgement and criticism.”
Slater continued, “I focused on all the parts about it I didn’t like.” She credited “Dancing with the Stars” colleague Daniella Karagach for convincing her to share the photo publicly.
In her July 2025 post, Slater explained, “I just stumbled across this photo again and I was pleasantly surprised at how much my mentality has changed.”
Rather than feeling critical toward herself in the photo, Slater revealed she instead saw “a very feminine woman, who is strong and beautifully made.” She even admitted she “honestly could cry writing this,” noting she generally didn’t open up about herself publicly with such honesty.
