ABC
A “Dancing With the Stars” alum has weighed in on a professional dancer’s possible retirement.
Read on to find out why Monica Aldama says she’s “not surprised” her season 29 pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, might be done with his time on the show, plus what she thought of their time together.
Monica Is ‘Not Surprised’ Val Might Retire Because She Knows He Wants to Do Other Things
In an interview with US Weekly tied to the release of her new book, “Full Out: Lessons in Life and Leadership From America’s Favorite Coach,” the “Cheer” star said she was not at all surprised to hear that Val is probably retiring from the show.
“I’m not surprised at hearing that just because I know he’s kind of an entrepreneur himself and he has a lot of different ideas,” Monica told the outlet, adding, “He really is very talented. He’s very creative, not just in dance, but he’s just very artistic and very creative.”
She also said that she is thankful to have gotten to work with Val, saying, “I’m definitely grateful that I had the opportunity to work with him. I think we both taught each other a lot.”
Indeed, it sounds like they definitely had a rough go of it when they were partnered together but emerged out the other side a stronger partnership.
In her book, Monica detailed how in week five when they were rehearsing a tango, Val “was losing patience” with her and started physically shoving her shoulders back to improve her posture.
“In the middle of one run-through, he stopped and angrily told me that I had to stop looking down at our feet. His body language and tone communicated pure disgust. … Val would remind me about my posture throughout each dance by shoving my shoulders back into their proper position. When he made those adjustments while angry, I found it harder and harder not to take it personally,” wrote Monica.
But she continued on to say that when she had finally had enough, she and Val had a heart-to-heart talk where she cried and told him it felt like “he was pushing [her] under and [she] was drowning,” but she needed him to be a lifeline for her.
“In the end, it was a great conversation. … That day, things turned around dramatically,” Monica wrote.
Monica Also Said She Has No Clue What Val Will Do Next
Val started talking about retiring during season 30. On his partner Olivia Jade’s podcast, he said that his future with “Dancing With the Stars” was “TBD” (to be determined), but then he told a fan in a DM that this was his last season, writing, “The support of the fam means so much to me. The energy has been insane and I’m so humbled and grateful. I haven’t felt this in a LONG time. I really appreciate everyone, and TBH, the love is making me really sad about this being my last one. Love you guys!”
He also told “Entertainment Tonight” in an interview during the season, “I love the show. I love being on it. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Is this my last season? Probably.”
But what will he do next? Monica has no idea, but she told US Weekly that she knows he has options, and she will always support him. She told the outlet, “He could really honestly do so many different things. I don’t have a clue what his plan is, but he does own a lot of dance schools around the country.”
She added, “This summer, he did a tour with his brother Maks [Chmerkovskiy], and they came through Austin. So [my husband and I] bought tickets and went down there to support him. We went backstage and hung out with him for a little bit. I would support him in anything he does.”
For Val’s part, he told “Extra” that he and Maks want to continue to work on expanding their brand with their dance company, saying, “I just got off a tour with my brother Maks this summer straight into this season [of ‘Dancing With the Stars’]. It was a very successful tour. I got to script it, write it, produce it, perform in it, obviously. It was a two-man show, which was awesome to do with your brother. … We are going to continue to expand on that brand. Can’t wait to continue to dance, perform, act, host.”
As far as that goes at home, Val’s wife, fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro Jenna Johnson, told “Entertainment Tonight” that while it will be strange to do the show without Val around, she also thinks it will be “awesome” to see him do something new.
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.
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