Despite reports to the contrary, professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy is not leaving “Dancing With the Stars.”
“I am not quitting the show,” the 27-year-old Ukrainian told People on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, TVGuide.com reported that Maks, who narrowly missed netting the “Dancing” trophy with Spice Girl Mel B on last week’s season finale, would not be returning to the show in March.
His comments indicated he wanted to return to ballroom competition with a new Russian dancer, “who I personally want to dance with,” he said. “We’re going to start practicing. I want to go back to my coaches, to learning.”
It also seemed, despite visiting clubs like Hollywood hotspot Hyde, Maks decided he’d had enough of Hollywood.
“This is a very lucrative world,” he told TVGuide.com previously. “And I spent some time here just looking around and going, ‘Wow, this is an amazing house.‘ But I’m a very analytical person. And right away, I looked past the curtains and I saw the drugs and the difficult lifestyles and the failed marriages. And I saw absolutely no family values — and that is the most important thing.”
But those comments, Maks told People onWednesday, were made “at a time when I was very stressed out,” he said. “This show is amazing and it’s rewarding…. I want people — especially my fans — to know that I appreciate their support. I am not turning my back on the show. I don’t want people to feel betrayed. I love this show.”
Meanwhile, in related “Dancing” news, Mark Ballas, the professional dancer who was partnered up and later began a romance with Cheetah Girl Sabrina Ryan, will be on the show’s live tour.
Many were worried Ballas’ fate on the tour was in jeopardy after he tore a shoulder muscle on “Dancing’s” season finale, but according to a new report on TVGuide.com, Mark just underwent arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday and he is on the mend.
And it turns out, Sabrina’s been helping Mark recuperate.
“She’s been amazing,” Ballas said. “She’s been here every day, helping me along.”
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.