Artem Chigvintsev Admits Being Cut From ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Was Like a ‘Punch in the Stomach’

When the list of professional dancers was announced for Season 28 of Dancing With the Stars, Artem Chigvintsev‘s name was not included, a decision the dancer described as a “massive shock.”

“It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very long time. There was never a thought in my mind that I’m not going to be doing it,” he said on Nikki Bella and Brie Bella’s The Bellas Podcast on Wednesday, Aug. 28. “There’s always a chance, as a pro, you might be doing some performances on the show and there’s still an involvement in some sort. But getting this call, [hearing] ‘There’s gonna be no involvement in the show from now on,’ it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years.”

Chigvintsev shared he found out he would not be included in the upcoming season on Aug. 16, five days before the list was announced to the public on Aug. 21. Prior to that, the 37-year-old said that he had been receiving texts about promo shoots two weeks before the cast announcement.

“It was always a positive conversation…never even thought, ‘Oh we’re going to let you know if you’re going to be on or not,’” he said. “There was always a conversation of like, ‘Oh, that’s what when we’re planning to do the promo shoot, or, ‘That’s when we’re planning the announcement. That’s when we’re planning GMA.’”

He said that he knew something was fishy when he had not heard from producers so close to the cast reveal.

“I called up producers and they said, ‘Hey we’re going to find out by end of the day today we’ll let you know.’ That was approximately, what 10 in the morning? So, I waited until like 7 p.m. at night,” Chigvintsev said, adding that he ultimately learned his fate at around 8 p.m. that day.

“You can be depressed, and I think I’m at the point where I’m kind like trying to figure it out. It’s not so much about being depressed, but not looking about what could’ve been because it’s so recent. And you can’t help but think about if I would be there, who would potentially be my partner,” he continued. “Being on a show like DWTS, for what I do, is the top of the game. There’s really no other jobs that give you the satisfaction of choreographing, teaching and getting the recognition in that spectrum, so there’s a part of that is like ‘Ok, I can’t be there. What else can I do with it?’”

Chigvintsev first appeared on DWTS as a member of the troupe in Season 18 before being promoted to pro status for Season 19. Prior to that, he appeared on the U.K. version of the show, Strictly Come Dancing.

“I dedicated 10 years of my life to that company and being let go a few days before the announcement, that’s, like, a punch in the stomach really,” he said. “I can’t let anyone decide my fate from now on.”

Photo Credit: Getty / FOX