Brooke Burke did not hold back while sharing her true feelings about her exit from cohosting Dancing With the Stars.
When asked whether she “had enough” of her hosting gig, Burke, 52, replied on the Sunday, July 7, episode of the “Getting Grilled With Curtis Stone” podcast, “I probably had enough, but then when you leave something and you think you’ve had enough, you kind of, in hindsight, look back and want a little bit more.”
After winning the mirrorball trophy with partner Derek Hough during season 7, Burke replaced Samantha Harris as cohost of the ABC reality competition from season 10 to season 17. While looking back at her departure from the role, Burke admitted that she was “ready to do other things.”
“But I think it’s shocking when there’s a change in our business, just to humanize it, to be honest, to be vulnerable. I think it was really disappointing. I wasn’t expecting it,” she said, noting that there can’t be a plan in Hollywood. “Things change like that for a variety of reasons. It was for sure time for a number of reasons on both sides. But yeah, I think that kind of change is always a bummer.”
Despite the disappointing end, Burke called the experience “amazing.” She added, “It was so fun to dress up as a princess everyday and go to work. And also to connect, to connect with everybody that I had worked with, to give some love and compassion to all the contestants. To really understand what they were going through. It was a good ride.”
Burke had nothing but praise for her former cohost, Tom Bergeron, who was a staple on the show from its 2005 debut through season 28, which aired in 2019.
“He’s so brilliant, so funny, so freaking smart,” she gushed to Curtis Stone. “And I always give him credit because he was one of those men that really know how to be a partner. No ego at all and he was flawless, in my opinion. He always welcomed me, always made space for me.”
While recalling her audition for the coveted gig, Burke noted that she asked if she could read on camera with Bergeron, 69. “I think it was a big risk,” she said. “I think it was the right move, I think that’s why I got the job because we just lit up together and I really wanted that gig. It was a blessing.”
Bergeron and Erin Andrews were replaced by Tyra Banks for the 2020 season. DWTS, which was renewed for season 33 earlier this year, is currently hosted by Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.
