Sharna Burgess is officially back in the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom for Season 35 after five years away from competing. The longtime professional dancer is partnered with TV personality Tyler Cameron, marking her first competitive season since 2021.
Burgess has a long history with the series. She joined the troupe in 2011, became a professional partner in Season 16 and competed across 14 seasons before her extended absence, eventually winning her first Mirrorball Trophy with Bobby Bones in Season 27.
That 2018 victory became one of the show’s most debated results because Bones had regularly received lower judges’ scores than several competitors but remained popular with viewers. Burgess was then unexpectedly left out of the Season 28 professional lineup, although no definitive public explanation was given for that decision.
Burgess eventually returned for Seasons 29 and 30. In Season 30, she was partnered with her real-life partner Brian Austin Green, but she later said the experience became difficult because so much attention centered on their romantic relationship instead of their dancing.
She later revealed that she contacted someone involved with the show and expressed frustration with the direction of their storyline. Burgess said that if the focus was going to remain on their relationship rather than the competition they had signed up for, she felt they should simply be eliminated.
After Season 30, Burgess’ absence had a very different explanation. She and Green welcomed their son, Zane, in June 2022, and Burgess voluntarily chose not to compete in Season 31 because she wanted to spend those early months with her newborn.
Burgess explained at the time that returning would have required being away from Zane for extremely long rehearsal days. Although stepping away was difficult, she said motherhood was where she needed and wanted to be during that period.
She expected the break to be temporary. Burgess later said she intended to return the following season and believed she remained on good terms with the program, which made what happened next particularly surprising for her.
Burgess revealed that she was not invited back for Season 32. She described the decision as a “shock,” especially because she believed conversations surrounding her maternity break had left the door open for her return.
Her time away ultimately stretched into several years, although she never completely separated herself from the “DWTS” family. She made a brief appearance during the show’s 500th episode in 2024 before finally being announced as a full professional again for Season 35.
Now Burgess is beginning a completely new chapter alongside Cameron. Their first routine was a tango to Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” and Burgess has described Cameron’s athletic mentality as a strong match for her demanding, coach-like teaching style.
For Burgess, the comeback appears to carry meaning beyond simply competing for another Mirrorball Trophy. She has described returning as feeling like she is “coming home,” making Season 35 the culmination of a complicated journey involving career setbacks, motherhood and years away from a ballroom she says has always remained part of her.
