Charli D’Amelio Reveals Painful ‘DWTS’ Falls in New Post About Mark Ballas

The road to the mirrorball trophy isn’t an easy one. Dancing With the Stars Season 31 winner Charli D’Amelio wished her pro partner Mark Ballas a happy birthday with a heartfelt post on Instagram that included a series of short clips from their impressive dance practices with some even more impressive falls — scripted and otherwise. “happy birthday to the one and only @markballas forever thankful to have you in my life my dance partner forever,” D’Amelio wrote for the post’s caption. The post takes on a new significance with the knowledge that the latest season of DWTS was likely Ballas’ last. After 20 seasons, Ballas announced his departure from Dancing With the Stars at the show’s final tour date for Season 31 on March 13, 2023, at the Pearl Concert Theater of the Palm Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I started this journey when I was 21, 22. Honestly, being able to dance and perform for you fans, you guys are the best fans. Thank you,” he said in a video recorded by a fan. “So, I just wanna finish by saying this will be the last time you see me dance in this capacity. I’m coming to a close tonight. This is gonna be my last dance.”

As Ballas announced the news, he was on stage with D’Amelio, with whom he had won his third and last Mirrorball Trophy in November 2022. “I had the best time ever this season, and this freestyle was just a great way to finish it off. This song means the world to me, Charli means the world to me, the D’Amelio family, you guys mean the world to me. Thank you for everything,” Ballas said. “I’m not saying this is the end, [but] this is the last time I will be dancing with a [celebrity] partner. And I wanted to finish this with Charli, and I appreciate you guys so much. I wanna do this freestyle for you one more time. Thank you for everything, I appreciate it.”

After his victory on Dancing With the Stars, Ballas hinted at retirement from the show in an interview with Us Weekly. “I don’t know [if I’m coming back],” he said. “You know the older I get, I try to stay very present in the moment, you know, and I think that was like a big part of creating these dances.” He continued, “Every week I put, I tried to put every aspect of creativity, care, musicality, nuance into each one. I think you can only do that by staying totally in the moment of each time. So, right now I’m in this moment with Charli and … my body couldn’t even fathom a thought of doing this [in] six months, so I’ll let you know down the line.”