Maksim Chmerkovskiy has announced he's leaving Dancing with the Stars.

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However, viewers don't have to start worrying about the professional dancer's departure just yet, as it won't happen until his current Dancing with the Stars contract expires in another year-and-a-half, Chmerkovskiy's representative has confirmed to E! News.

Chmerkovskiy's contract reportedly runs for three more seasons of the show -- including its upcoming Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars edition, which premieres Monday, September 24 at 8PM ET/PT.

"What else do I have to do there after 15 seasons? It makes total sense. The audience can't expect for me to want to stick around, and the producers can't expect for me to want to stick around," Chmerkovskiy told The New York Post.

"Essentially, 80% of our job is to give somebody another push in their career or we make them into likable characters. But at the end of the day, they go off and they better themselves... I loved doing it. But to be honest with you, at 32, I am at what-about-me time."

Chmerkovskiy said he doesn't think his absence will be detrimental to Dancing with the Stars down the road. 

"I am not thinking that with me leaving, the show will go off the air or anything," he explained. Like my dad said, 'There are no irreplaceable people.' I wish them the next 50 years of success. But I have to do something else. I need to move on for me.'"

Chmerkovskiy reportedly wants to pursue an acting career which will begin with a lead role in a major studio movie scheduled to begin filming in January. But the aspiring actor may not stray too far from reality television, as he also hopes to potentially star in a new reality show alongside his brother Val Chmerkovskiy, according to The Post.

Chmerkovskiy -- who currently hosts The Cube, a Ukrainian game show, and also starred on the Ukrainian edition of The Bachelor last year -- said he will play a Latin dancer "who is a bit of a hustler" in his upcoming movie, and work with a female lead in which he will have to film a "romantic scene" for the first time in his life. 

As for Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars coming up, Chmerkovskiy added he's worried his partnership with Kirstie Alley may struggle to rack in fans' votes this time around.

"We may have had a couple of weeks last time [in Season 12] that we cruised on popularity or fan appeal or whatever," the pro dancer told The Post. "But I am not really sure that is going to work for us this time. I am not sure people are going to vote for us just because it is us."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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