There have been a lot of beloved pros on Dancing with the Stars over the years.
There is a petition to bring in a new pro in Derek Hough’s girlfriend, Hayley Erbert. Meanwhile, one pro is talking retirement, in Val Chmerkovskiy.
Now, a former pro is hinting that she might want to return to Dancing with the Stars as well.
Karina Smirnoff could return to Dancing with the Stars
Karina Smirnoff spoke to Parade about what she has been doing since Dancing with the Stars and said she would be open to returning if the conditions were right.
Karina believes that Dancing with the Stars did a lot to revive ballroom dancing, but the show has moved into other areas too.
“I think the show actually revived ballroom dancing,” Karina said. “I know right now the show is heading maybe a slightly different direction and there are a lot of other styles that are coming into play, not necessarily ballroom.”
If Karina returned, it might be in the same role as Derek Hough.
“I think he’s fantastic as a judge. He was fantastic on World of Dance with Jennifer Lopez. He did a fantastic job there,” Karina said. “I would definitely enjoy judging. I don’t know if I would go back as a dancer. I think there’s a right time in life for everything. But I think Derek is as fantastic as a judge as he was amazing as a dancer.”
Up next, Karina is starring in the movie Tango Shalom.
“It is a charming movie and I think it’s very time appropriate with everything that’s happening in the world,” Smirnoff said. “It’s uniting, it’s unifying, and it’s accepting of different religions, different cultures. I think it’s the perfect time for something like this.”
She also said she didn’t chip in with any ideas for dance choreography for the movie, although it was hard to keep silent after doing so much on Dancing with the Stars.
“It was difficult to keep me quiet, so I definitely did a lot of suggestions for the choreography,” Karina said. “I was like, ‘What if we did this, can this work?’ But I think Jordi understood the talent and Jos [Laniado]’s ability.”
Karina Smirnoff on Dancing with the Stars
Karina Smirnoff, 43, appeared on Dancing with the Stars for 18 seasons.
Only three pros have competed on Dancing with the Stars for more seasons than Karina. Mark Ballas was on for 19 seasons, Tony Dovolani for 21, and Cheryl Burke for 24.
She won the show once, in Season 13 with actor J.R. Martinez. She also finished in second with actors Corbin Bleu and Mario Lopez and third with NFL star Jacoby Jones.
She also had turns with Billy Ray Cyrus, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Aaron Carter, Doug Flutie, and Ralph Macchio.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.