“Dancing With the Stars” season 27 champion Sharna Burgess returns to the ballroom this year after a five-year absence.
Many fans suspected the Australian dancer would make her grand return this season after teasing the possibility at the DWTS convention this year.
As fans eagerly anticipate the season 35 premiere, the pro dancers and their celebrity partners are hard at work in the rehearsal room. Sharna Burgess took time out of her busy schedule to dish on her partner and describe how excited she is about competing.
Sharna Burgess Feels ‘Grateful’ For Her Partner This Year
While many “Dancing With the Stars” season 35 celebrity names have been leaked, not many partnerships are public knowledge yet. So far, reigning champion Witney Carson and talk show personality Guillermo Rodriguez are the only confirmed pairing.
Sharna Burgess is over the moon about her celebrity partner this year. In fact, she’s having a hard time keeping the news to herself.
“Sharna Burgess dishes on why now was the right time to return to #DWTS and says she’s ‘incredibly happy’ with her partner! 🪩” the official ExtraTV Instagram account shared.
“Oh, I simply cannot,” the Australian dancer immediately declared when asked if she could drop any hints. “I feel like if I say a single thing, I’m going to give it away.
“I just know that I am incredibly happy,” Sharna added. “A wonderful human being that I’m dancing with, an amazing student. Honestly, everything I could wish for in my return to the ballroom this year. I’m so grateful.”
The Australian Dancer Talks Her Decision to Return
Though Sharna Burgess was widely beloved by fans, she stepped away from the show to focus on her family. She and her fiance, Brian Austin Green, welcomed their son in June 2022. Now that her son is a little older, she decided to pursue dance again.
“I can’t believe it’s been five years,” the 41-year-old told ExtraTV. “I feel it went in the blink of an eye. It feels like yesterday I was still on the show. I had a baby, so it makes time go very, very fast. And I gotta say, stepping back into it, it feels like I never left.”
Sharna went on to discuss how she and casting director Deena Katz had discussed her return last year. She wasn’t ready then, but her son is in school now and she has more time to pursue her own passions. Last December, the Australian dancer started manifesting her return to dance.
In a surprising turn of events, Katz asked Sharna Burgess to return as a pro dancer this year. The dancer admitted she nearly fell off her chair in shock, but immediately agreed.
Fans can catch Sharna Burgess and the rest of the “Dancing With the Stars” pros in action at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15 on ABC. There will be a second episode the following evening on Wednesday, September 16.
The full season 35 cast list will be revealed on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, September 2. Tune in and see who Sharna Burgess will compete with this year.
