Making a change! Lindsay Arnold announced that she is exiting Dancing With the Stars amid her plans to expand her family.
“I wanted to let you all know that I have decided not to be a part of Dancing With the Stars this season,” the 38-year-old dancer wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, August 31. “This has been one of the hardest decisions to make but ultimately, I have chosen what I feel is best for myself and my family.”
The So You Think You Can Dance alum explained that after more than 10 years with the show she still loves it “with all of my heart,” but her loved ones have to come first. Arnold shares 22-month-old daughter Sage with husband Sam Cusick.
“As many of you know my family and I live in [Utah] and in order to do DWTS I have to move myself and my daughter Sage out to LA and leave behind my husband Sam who works full time here in Utah,” she continued. “Logistically there is SO much involved with making this happen and there is a lot of sacrifice that has to be made that unfortunately just did not feel right for us this time around.”
The Dancing With the Stars: Junior mentor insisted that she and Cusick “exhausted every option we could think of to make it work” but ultimately they chose this path. “At the end of the day none of the options felt good in my heart or felt like the right thing for our lives right now,” she added.
Arnold further explained that she is “trying to grow” her family, saying, “that in itself is a complicated logistical thing as I’m sure many of you understand.”
The TV personality pointed out that despite leaving the show, her time with the ABC series — which is moving to Disney+ this fall — has meant “the world” to her.
“None of this has anything to do with my love for the show as that will NEVER change and it also doesn’t mean that this is the end for me and DWTS,” she wrote. “Although this decision has been so hard to make I feel so much peace about it and know that it is the right thing to do.”
The Utah native added that she “can’t wait” to watch season 31 and “see all of my friends dance.” She confessed that she plans to be the “biggest fangirl” as she continues to keep her followers updated on her motherhood journey and more.
“Thank you all for your continued love and support for me and my family it means so much!” Arnold concluded.
The ballroom dancer married Cusick in 2015, two years after she first appeared on Dancing With the Stars. Arnold took a hiatus from the series during season 29, which is when she welcomed Sage. She returned to the ballroom for season 30 and competed with The Bachelor’s Matt James.
Arnold’s announcement came just minutes after new mom Sharna Burgess announced that she wouldn’t be a pro for the upcoming season. The Australia native, 37 — who welcomed her first child, son Zane, with Brian Austin Green in June — has since decided not to compete on DWTS this season. She did, however, tease that she would be back “in some capacity.”
Season 31 of Dancing With the Stars premieres on Disney+ Monday, September 19.
