Dancing with the Stars pro Derek Hough has revealed why he chose not to participate in Season 22 after taking only one other season off since joining the show back in 2007.
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Hough first appeared on Dancing with the Stars in Season 5, and since then, he's become a fan-favorite pro and managed to win six mirrorball trophies. His latest victory was with Bindi Irwin last season.
So why take a break now when he was on fire?
"I think I just always had the feeling of being inspired -- I want to give all to whatever I'm doing. I think I just needed a little bit of time to grow," Hough told People at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.
"I think if you're not growing, essentially -- it sounds dramatic but it's true -- so for me this is giving me some time to work on other skills that I want to work on for myself."
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Hough, 30, plans to use his time off to relax and also "extend my vocabulary of movement in different avenues and different things" for when he returns to Dancing with the Stars.
"It's been great! And [I'm] also prepping for projects coming," he continued. "There's a lot of stuff happening so I'm going to get busy real busy again. I'm enjoying some time now to kind of -- it's one thing building a career, but also building a life. I need to have that time."
Surprisingly, Hough hasn't even been watching Dancing with the Stars, which currently airs Monday nights on ABC.
"I just hear [about it] from my friends. I missed the episode last week," Hough admitted. "I'll be doing something and be like, 'Oh yeah, the show! I missed the show! Shoot.' Normally you're just so consumed by it, it's wild."
It's unclear whether Hough will be back in the DWTS ballroom for Season 23 in the fall.
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"I don't know," he confessed. "We'll see how it goes. We'll see what happens."
Hough's sister Julianne Hough also left Dancing with the Stars this season. She served on the judging panel from Season 19 to Season 21.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski