Sharna Burgess fully expected to return to “Dancing With the Stars” — or to at least be asked to return. She opened up about the situation on an episode of her new podcast, “Oldish,” where she admitted the casting diss was a “huge shock” to her. After declining “DWTS” season 31 because she’d just given birth to her son two months prior, Burgess claimed she made it clear to producers that she only wanted one season off to focus on motherhood. “It was always, ‘I want to come back next year,’ and ‘Of course, we love you, we’ll always have you,'” she said.
But as the new season approached, she realized her phone wasn’t ringing. After finding out that some of her pro dancer friends had already been cast for season 32, Burgess surmised that she was out. “I realized when those spots were all filled, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t get the call,'” she said on her podcast. “I didn’t get any phone call at this point. I didn’t get confirmed whether on or off. I just knew from other people. And that was really hard.”
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While Burgess never heard from producers despite her long history with the show, newer pros made the cut, including Daniella Karagach and Koko Iwasaki. In addition, 18-year-old Rylee Arnold, the kid sister of longtime pro Lindsay Arnold, was announced for season 32.
