Maks Chmerkovskiy 'Done Dancing' on 'DWTS?'
Maks Chmerkovskiy is moving on from "Dancing with the Stars" for good, according to a recent interview.
The professional dancer has starred on "DWTS" for a total of 14 seasons, including the most recent season 18 in which he was crowned Mirrorball Champion alongside Meryl Davis. However, Chmerkovskiy said today that is it "time" to hang up his "DWTS" dancing shoes for good.
"I'm done dancing," he said while on "The View" on Tuesday, July 29, according to Us Weekly. "I feel like it's time."
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The 34-year-old Ukrainian native went on to explain his difficult decision to leave the ABC competition series.
"When I came back to the show, it was not the same, I was different, probably," Chmerkovskiy said, referring to his return to "DWTS" this year after taking two seasons off.
"When I came back, I saw this amazing talent … I looked at it and thought they can do much more and better. I was taking up a huge spot," he added.
Even after his first "DWTS" championship, Chmerkovskiy was already saying that his time on the show was over.
"I don't think [I'll return]," he told Entertainment Tonight back in May. "This is exhausting. It has nothing to do with money. The first thing that I did after hugging her [Meryl] was come up to Derek [Hough] and I was like, 'Dude, I don't know how you do it.' He [won the championship] five times. I have no idea."
Although the dancing pro is leaving his "DWTS" ballroom days behind him, Chmerkovskiy has not yet addressed rumors that indicate he is moving to the judge's table on the show. The celebrity dancer has already served as a guest judge last year, and ABC's president of entertainment Paul Lee said at the time that Chmerkovskiy is a staple of the competition.
"Maks is part of the family," Lee said at the time. "He may well be back. We love having him be part of the show."
