Heavy/Getty/ABC Jenna Johnson.
Jenna Johnson shared an adorable video with fans.
On June 9, 2024, the “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer posted footage of her toddler son, Rome, taking some of his first steps—and the proud mama could not contain her glee in the sweet clip.
Johnson and her husband Val Chmerkovskiy welcomed their baby boy on January 10, 2023. The DWTS couple has regularly shared updates on their son’s milestones.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jenna Johnson Returned Home From a Trip to London to See That Rome Started Walking
In June 2024, Johnson and her husband spent some time in London. Johnson also posed with friends after visiting tourist attractions such as Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the famous Big Ben tower clock.
When Johnson returned home from her trip, she found out from her in-laws that her toddler had taken great strides in his walking after some prior setbacks. On Instagram, the mom of one shared a video that showed her asking her son, “Can you walk to mommy?”
Rome began giggling and started walking toward Johnson as she squealed with delight. Johnson then hugged and kissed her little boy and said, “You just walked!”
In the caption to the video, Johnson revealed that Rome’s journey to walking had been quite an adventure. The pro dancer explained that while her son started standing and maneuvering around with help at an early age, he suffered a “very bad fall with a push walker” earlier this year that set him back.
“I think it traumatized him and he had NO interest in walking for months,” she shared, noting that her boy even refused to stand up while holding someone’s hands. Johnson also said Rome’s big size contributed to him walking a little later than other babies.
“I feel like I just watched him overcome a big fear and the smile on his face while accomplishing it made my heart burst!!” Johnson wrote of Rome taking his first steps on his own.
Johnson’s post received lots of love from fans and her DWTS family.
“My beautiful boy 🥹❤️,” wrote Val Chmerkovskiy.
“Yay🙌🙌😍,” wrote fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro Daniella Karagach.
“Go Rome!!!!” added pal Witney Carson.
“YAY ROME!!!!! 😍😍😍,” added dancer Lindsay Arnold.
Jenna Johnson Previously Shared Videos of Rome Crawling & Walking With Help
Over the past year, Johnson has shared many photos and videos of Rome’s milestones. She previously posted a clip of him crawling. The video appeared to be taken while the family was on the road for the “Dancing With the Stars Live” tour in early 2024.
Johnson also posted a video of Rome taking some steps as his dad held his hands. “If this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen,” she captioned the clip of her son walking to fellow DWTS pro Alan Bersten.
Johnson once joked that her son might dance before walking. In an October 2023 interview with Parade, she shared that her son was given a pair of dance shoes as a gift from her very first ballroom teacher. “Rome does have a pair of little Latin shoes, which is so funny,” Johnson said. “He does love music, though, and he loves watching us dance. He loves watching me and Val practice at home. So, we’ll see [if he dances before he can walk].”
READ NEXT: DWTS Pro Names Dream Dance Partner Ahead of Season 33