2 Longtime ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pros Exit Ahead of Season 31

Dancing With the Stars is undergoing some major changes as it looks ahead to a new season. Ahead of the hit dancing competition’s Season 31 premiere, its first season streaming exclusively on Disney+, both Lindsay Arnold and Sharna Burgess have exited Dancing With the Stars as professional dancers. In back-to-back announcements this week, the two announced they are officially hanging up their dancing shoes.

Burgess, who has served as a pro on the competition since 2013, was the first to announce her departure. In a video shared to Instagram Wednesday, Burgess shared that “after long conversations and lots of thinking and really trying to sit with what was right,” including numerous conversations with casting director Deena Katz, she “made the really hard decision to not do this season of Dancing with the Stars.” Burgess went on to explain that she decided to sit out this season because she ultimately wasn’t ready quite yet to leave her newborn son Zane, whom she welcomed with boyfriend Brian Austin Green in June, a “minimum 10 hours a day.”

“I say ten hours because it’s not just the time in the room. It’s the travel time, the prep time, the hair and makeup time. Sundays and Mondays are full days away. I’m a full time breastfeeding mama and not only that, I just, I am so in love with just being a mom,” she continued. “I have this family and this newborn at home that I may never get these moments back.”

Despite her exit as a professional dancer, Burgess promised that she “will be there in some capacity.” Burgess confirmed that she is “at one hundred percent capacity with my body” and feels “fit,” “strong,” and “ready to dance,” so they are “going to talk about what that means and how I can be apart of it.” She later added that her exit “does not mean that I will not be around,” adding, “We are going to figure that out in whatever capacity that means. You will see me it will just be in a different way.”

Just hours later, Arnold announced that she would also be stepping away from Dancing With the Stars after 10 years with the competition. In an Instagram post, Arnold shared, “I wanted to let you all know that I have decided not to be a part of Dancing With the Stars this season.” Arnold called it “one of the hardest decisions to make,” though she said, “ultimately I have chosen what I feel is best for myself and my family. DWTS has been a part of my life for over 10 years now and when I say I love the show with all of my heart I mean it!!” Arnold, who reflected on the life-changing impact DWTS has had on her, explained that her family – husband Samuel Lightner Cusick and their daughter Sage Jill – currently live in Utah, but the competition would require her to live in Los Angeles, stating, “logistically there is SO much involved with making this happen and there is a lot of sacrifice that has to be made that unfortunately just did not feel right for us this time around.” Despite attempting to find alternative options, she said that “none of the options felt good in my heart or felt like the right thing for our lives right now.” Arnold concluded by sharing that she intends to “fan girl” over the upcoming season.

At this time, the cast for Dancing With the Stars has not been revealed, despite numerous rumors about who is and is not returning. The complete list of professional dancers and their celebrity partners will be revealed in the coming days on Good Morning America. The season will then kick off on Sept. 19 on Disney+.