Why Mark Ballas’s Body ‘Can’t Fathom’ Returning to DWTS

Mark Ballas Charli D'Amelio

ABC Mark Ballas may not return to "Dancing With the Stars," but he'll let fans know.

“Dancing With the Stars” wrapped up season 31 on Monday, November 21, 2022. After all was said and done, fan-favorite professional dancer Mark Ballas earned his third Mirrorball trophy, becoming the second-most winningest pro on the show.

Ballas, who returned from a five-season hiatus to dance with TikTok superstar Charli D’Amelio, isn’t sure if he’ll be back in the ballroom next season, however. The star told Us Weekly that he has not made any decisions about the future.

“I don’t know [if I’m coming back],” Ballas, 36, told the outlet. “You know, the older I get, I try to stay very present in the moment, you know, and I think that was like a big part of creating these dances.”

He added, “Every week I put, I tried to put every aspect of creativity, care, musicality, nuance into each one. I think you can only do that by staying totally in the moment of each time. So, right now I’m in this moment with Charli and … my body couldn’t even fathom a thought of doing this [in] six months, so I’ll let you know down the line.”

Ballas and D’Amelio won the trophy over finalists Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy, Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, and Wayne Brady and Witney Carson.


Ballas & D’Amelio Were Excited About Their Win

Throughout the season, it was clear that Ballas and D’Amelio cared about each other and worked hard for their dances each week, and they spoke on “Good Morning America” after the finale about how proud of their win they are.

When it comes to what she’s up to after the finale, D’Amelio shared that she really just wants to “sleep.”

“The whole experience just from start to finish was fantastic, I had a really lovely time, made a great friend, and had a great time training and dancing with Charli,” Ballas told the anchors. “I had a great time being out on the floor with all my comrades.”

He added, “I loved it. I had a really beautiful time.”

Ballas told Page Six after the show that he chose the music for the contemporary dance, “Us Again,” before the season even started.

“It’s funny, I have a folder in my phone of music I’d love to create something to,” he told the outlet. “I haven’t done the show in a long time and I had a little link to that song. It’s from a Disney short called ‘Us Again.’ And I was like, ‘If I ever go back on the show, use this song.’ So I went back and listened to it, and when I listened to it, I could see it from start to finish.”


D’Amelio Called Ballas Her ‘New Best Friend’

During the episode, Ballas and D’Amelio spoke to one another about finding their shared love of dancing throughout the season, and after their win was announced, D’Amelio was visibly emotional.

“Thank you, Mark, for becoming my new best friend,” she said.

D’Amelio shared on “Good Morning America” that she “gave everything I had” to the “Dancing With the Stars” journey.

“I got so much out of it, whether it’s confidence in my dancing, new friends, memories that I’ll remember forever,” she said. “I really had such an incredible time, and I’ve met so many new people.”

“Dancing With the Stars” is set to return in 2023 for an all-new season on Disney+.