After taking the 20th season off, the professional dancer admitted that she missed the moments.
- Aug 19, 2015
AceShowbiz - Karina Smirnoff returns to the TV show that catapulted her name. The 37-year-old is back as one of the pro dancers of "Dancing with the Stars" in the upcoming 21st season.
"I was a little nervous about not dancing on the show at all last season. I was doing it for the last 10 years," she told Entertainment Weekly. "I had other things to do in my life, but not going back to the show felt like trying to see if I can walk on my own two feet! I've had obvious moments when I missed it."
Smirnoff took a break from the show last season to promote her book "We're Just Not That Into You: Dating Disasters from the Trenches" and star in indie flick "Tango Shalom". She said in a statement in February, "After a lot of thought and prayer, I've decided to focus my energies on some other exciting endeavors including adding author to my resume."
The upcoming season will also see the return of Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Witney Carson. ABC will reveal the stars and their dancing partners in the coming weeks. Smirnoff herself had no idea whom she would be paired with. "I'm excited and a little nervous. Normally I can at least narrow it down a little bit, like whether it will be an athlete or an actor, but I have no idea," she said.
The new season begins September 14 on ABC.
