Dancing With the Stars’ Sharna Burgess is making her pro cast comeback.
Burgess, 41, is officially joining season 35 of the reality TV dancing competition, her first time competing as a pro since season 30 in 2021.
“A little birdie told us an absolute firecracker is back in the ballroom 💥 Please give @sharnaburgess a warm welcome on her return as a #DWTS pro!” read a caption shared via the official DWTS Instagram account on Monday, August 24, alongside a video of Burgess blowing a kiss a the camera.
Burgess also shared a special announcement on Monday’s episode of Good Morning America. “I’m back!” she gushed. “Some of you guys guessed it … I’m back on Dancing With the Stars, baby. I’m gonna be competing for that Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. I can’t wait to be back in the ballroom with my dancing family. And mostly, it feels so good to be coming home. I’ll see you all soon.”
The Australian-born ballroom star and choreographer joins fellow pro Witney Carson, who is pregnant with her third baby, as two of the show’s confirmed pro dancers when the new season premieres over two nights on ABC starting Thursday, September 15.
Burgess’ departure from the series was announced via an emotional Instagram Story video shared in the lead-up to season 31 in August 2022. “After long conversations and lots of thinking and really trying to sit with what was right … I have made the really hard decision to not do the season this year of Dancing With the Stars,” she shared with fans.
Burgess said at the time that her foray into motherhood after welcoming her first child, son Zane, earlier that year, would take top priority. (Zane, whom Burgess shares with fiancé Brian Austin Green, is now 4.)
The pro, who had already added Dancing With the Stars Australia judging duties to her repertoire at the time, made a surprise cameo on DWTS during the U.S. series’ milestone 500th episode in November 2024. She remains a judge on the Australian version.
Burgess’ inclusion in season 35 comes after she told Us earlier this month that producers had sparked conversations about a potential cast return. “We actually discussed it last year, and it was by no means a ‘Please come back,’” Burgess exclusively told Us at the first-ever Dancing With the Stars Con on August 3. “It wasn’t a hard offer on the table, but there was definitely a temperature check.”
She added at the time that she “wasn’t ready” to return due to family commitments. “My son was not in school yet, and I was building on other things,” she said to Us. “I’ve been acting and doing a lot of other stuff, too.”
Burgess admitted that her time away from the dance floor has made her miss it. “When I woke up that morning, like, a little over less than a year ago, and I was like, ‘I need dance back in my life.’ If they were to ask me this year, I would absolutely say yes,” she said.
Us reported on Thursday, August 20, that Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt’s husband, Conner Leavitt, will be joining season 35 of DWTS. Brooks Nader’s sister Sarah Jane Nader is also reportedly on board, as are reality TV stars Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins, who were confirmed by ABC in April.
Savannah Bananas’ second baseman Jackson Olson and Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez are also officially competing, while Jenna Dewan and Bachelor Nation star Tyler Cameron are also rumored to be on the upcoming season.
The full cast of celebrities and pro dancers will be revealed on Good Morning America on September 2.
