Carrie Ann Inaba Leaving ‘The Talk’

ABC "Dancing with the Stars" stars Carrie Ann Inaba.

Carrie Ann Inaba has announced she is taking a leave of absence from “The Talk.” Read on to find out why and what this means for “Dancing With the Stars.”

Inaba Said She’s Taking a Break for Health Reasons

Inaba has been quite candid the past few years about her health battles. She was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder, in 2014 and has several other health problems since then. It is for these reasons that Inaba said she is taking time off from “The Talk” to focus on her health.

In an Instagram post, Inaba wrote, “Hi Everyone, I have decided to take a leave of absence from @thetalkcbs to focus on my well being. We all know health is the most precious gift we have. And I need to take care of mine. I appreciate the love and support from all of you and from my family at ‘The Talk.’ I hope to be back soon! Ready for action! I’m sending you all my love. And I’ll update you on my progress… talk soon.”

In a video message, she added, “I know you guys understand health is the most important thing. I appreciate your support, I appreciate the love and support from ‘The Talk’ family, and I hope to be back soon. Take care and I’ll keep you updated.”

Inaba Has Had a Host of Health Problems in Recent Years

When Inaba was first diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, which is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory condition that affects moisture production in the body, she told Pain Pathways magazine that it was vital that she saw a rheumatologist as early on in the diagnosis process that she did.

“One morning, I woke up with a lump in my neck, and I went immediately to my father’s oncologist, who ruled out cancer. He then sent me to a rheumatologist, who diagnosed Sjogren’s syndrome. Now I tell people that rheumatologists are the best doctors to see when something is going on. They are the private investigators of medicine,” said Inaba.

Inaba was hesitant to start taking medication that might have adverse side effects, but eventually, she felt like she had to.

“For my wonderful job all I need to do is see and speak, so I didn’t want to take the medicine initially because I thought it might affect my ability to do my job,” said Inaba. “My doctor warned me that Sjogren’s can become quite serious and spread into organs, so I finally decided to start the medication. Now I am so grateful that I did — it really helps with the chronic fatigue that accompanies Sjögren’s. But I went through the stages — sad, angry, frustrated — and then thought, ‘I’m going to beat this’ before I finally accepted that I had a chronic condition and needed to take the medication. It eventually turned out to be the biggest blessing for me, because my life became much more peaceful as a result.”

However, that was nearly seven years ago and in the ensuing years, she has been diagnosed with both lupus and fibromyalgia. She wrote in a recent blog post that having these “does not make for an easy life.”

She wrote:

It’s hard enough to function in life without the added chronic fatigue, confusion, pain, discomfort and the daily inconveniences of the dry eyes, joint pain, difficulty swallowing, the reactions to the sun, and the sudden flooring exhaustion.

Not to mention there are also the effects of medications, whether it be swelling or weight gain or loss… or just the fear of what it might be doing to your system in the long run.

They say that life is a bowl of cherries. But when you have autoimmune conditions, it becomes a universe of never ending challenges.

What Does This Mean for ‘Dancing With the Stars’

“Dancing With the Stars” most likely will not go back into production until September, which gives Inaba plenty of time to focus on herself and, she hopes, come back to the show.

Inaba certainly plans on coming back. When ABC renewed the show for its milestone 30th season, the network announced that all four judges — Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman and now Derek Hough — will be back.

Inaba wrote on Instagram at the time, “I’m so excited to share that Dancing With The Stars will be back for its 30th Season!✨I am so looking forward to returning to the ballroom with my dwts family @brunotonioliofficial @tyrabanks @derekhough and @grumpylgoodman. It’s such an honor to be a part of this incredible show. I can’t believe we are on our 30th season! So…. who’s ready for Season 30? I know I am!!!”

“Dancing With the Stars” season 30 is expected to premiere in September 2021 on ABC.

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