Sharna Burgess skipping 'Dancing with the Stars' season 31 to spend time with son
Burgess said she will still "be there in some capacity."
Sharna Burgess won't compete on "Dancing with the Stars" this next season.
The professional dancer broke the news Wednesday in a lengthy video message posted to her Instagram story. In the video, Burgess told fans she will instead focus on her newborn son Zane, whom she welcomed with boyfriend Brian Austin Green in June.
Burgess, 37, called the decision to not compete a "really hard" one for her, and said it came down to not being ready to spend the time required -- anywhere from 10 hours a day to all day -- away from her little one.
"I'm a full-time breastfeeding mama," she said, adding that she is "so in love with just being a mom."
"I have this family and this newborn at home that I may never get these moments back," the season 27 champ continued. "Watching him grow and this bonding time, I've been waiting for this for so long. I'm staying in that moment, and I'm going to live and love every single bit of it."
While Burgess won't be partnered with a celebrity in another Mirrorball trophy run, that doesn't mean fans won't see her at all during the upcoming season, which premieres Sept. 19 on Disney+.
"I will be there in some capacity and we're still talking about that," she said. "I'm at 100 percent capacity with my body. I feel fit. I feel strong. I'm so ready to dance. I'm about to go to the gym right now. We're going to talk about what that means and how I can be a part of it."
"We are going to figure that out in whatever capacity that means," Burgess added. "You will see me, but it will just be in a different way."
Soon after posting her initial video, the Australian ballroom dancer shared a shorter one in which she clarified that she had neither quit nor altogether exited "DWTS."
"It's just one season," she said. "... You'll see me again!"
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