Dancing with the Stars pro Sharna Burgess has opened up about the challenges of being partnered with boyfriend Brian Austin Green and how the judges have been "a bit harsh" on them.
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For the first three weeks of Dancing with the Stars' 30th season, Sharna and the former Beverly Hills, 90210 actor have landed towards the bottom of the judges' scoring leaderboard.
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While Brian was told he finally "arrived" on Monday night's "Britney Night" performance show, the judges previously called his footwork "sloppy" and have criticized Sharna's dancing content.
Sharna, 36, told Us Weekly in an interview that Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough and Len Goodman's feedback has been "harsh."
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"I also accept that maybe I'm a little bit biased," Sharna joked.
"I've noticed that I take judges' comments even more personally this season. Because, like, I want to defend Bri because he's my man."
Sharna reasoned, "Normally, any other season, I'm like, 'Got it, cool. We'll work on that. No worries.' [But now], I'm just like, 'I disagree. He did so good.'"
Sharna admitted having her boyfriend as her partner on Dancing with the Stars has presented some issues.
"Honestly, it's almost a disadvantage. We have this sensitivity when minding each other's feelings. We want to make sure our relationship is good outside of it. That's always going to be a priority for us," Sharna said.
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Sharna also noted how viewers either seem to love or hate their romantic connection onstage.
"People are expecting this intense chemistry all the time on the dance floor. And if it's not there, then people are like, 'They don't have chemistry!' But it's like dance is so different," Sharna explained.
"We have amazing chemistry in life, and I think in our rumba and foxtrot we had amazing chemistry. But then once it gets hard, you can't judge us as a dance couple and as a relationship. That's really hard to be judged as both because we [can't manage] both for you... But we are doing our very best with it."
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In addition, Sharna assured Dancing with the Stars fans that she and Brian don't get extra time to practice and don't "just steam up the dance floor every time."
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Sharna also explained how it's a challenge for her to go home and not talk about Dancing with the Stars with her boyfriend or correct Brian's mistakes when she's watching footage back and taking notes.
Sharna said she's the one who must disconnect from the show and separate their romance from her professional life.
"This is pressure on our relationship... so it's intense," Sharna said.
She added, "This is real-life love, and that's what makes it so hard for us. People either love seeing me in love or they kind of don't want to see me in love and they just want to see dancing."
Sharna concluded, "But to each their own! I can't help it. I'm in love, we're in love. We can't hide it! It's literally a part of every single step that we do. But I guess we've tried to not kiss on TV as much so people don't get weird about it."
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And on the bright side, Sharna said, "We get to create memories, and we get to love it."
Sharna and Brian began dating after Brian announced his split from estranged wife and actress Megan Fox in May 2020, but Brian and Sharna attempted to keep their relationship a secret for a little while.
Once the romance became serious, Sharna reportedly met the actor's three sons -- Noah, 8, Bodhi, 7, and Journey, 5 -- whom he shares with Megan as well as his eldest son, Kassius, 18, whom he welcomed with his ex Vanessa Marcil in 2002.
Brian and Sharna previously told Us that there was never a discussion for Brian to possibly partner with a different female pro.
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"They offered it to [Brian] on the terms we'd be partners. We always were going to be partnered together," Sharna told the magazine last month.
Dancing with the Stars' 30th season marks Sharna's fourteenth season on the show as a pro partner.
She won the mirrorball trophy one time with celebrity partner Bobby Bones back on Season 27 in 2018.