'Dancing With the Stars' 2014 Cast: Julianne Hough Reportedly Returning For Season 19, Though Not As A Pro [VIDEO]
Dancing With the Stars alum Julianne Hough is reportedly returning to the series, but this time she won't be dancing.
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Hough is allegedly being asked to be the fourth permanent judge on the upcoming 19th season of Dancing With the Stars, according to a new report by TMZ. This means that she would be joining longtime judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.
In the early seasons of DWTS, Hough was one of the top pro dancers, having won Season 4 and 5 with Apolo Anton Ohno and Hélio Castroneves, respectively.
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She left the show after Season 8 to pursue an acting and singing career. She then returned for a few guest judging spots over the past year.
Hough actually caused some controversy for her comments to pro Mark Ballas in Season 17. Hough had explained to Ballas' then partner Christina Milian:
"I've danced with Mark. You have to stand in front to make sure you're seen," suggesting that his choreography features himself more than his celebrity partner.
This caused rumors to fly about a feud between the two dancers.
"The dancers were all talking about it," a source close to the show told Us Weekly at the time. "Mark was so pissed after his routine, he was in silence, just gritting his teeth for a long time. He was so angry. Julianne is like his little sister he grew up with, and for her to make that dig at him - he felt like that was just so uncalled for."
However, both dancers later said that they remain friends.
Dancing With the Stars is set to premiere Monday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. on ABC.