'Dancing With the Stars' 2014 Cast: Maks Chmerkovskiy Admits To Feeling 'Battered' On Show, Talks Exiting [VIDEO]
Maks Chmerkovskiy recently opened up about his exit from ABC's Dancing With the Stars this year, revealing how time-consuming and difficult the show really is.
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Chmerkovskiy spoke with NJ Advance Media recently about what people don't realize about the dance competition and why he chose to leave after winning Season 18 with Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis.
"I left Dancing to pursue anything because it was impossible to pursue anything while you were on the show," Chmerkovskiy admitted. "It's very time consuming. It's a full-time job, year-round. It turns out that way, basically."
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He went on to say that it is essentially a "24/7 job," adding, "Literally, 24/7 for three months (twice a year), you're attached at the hip with a person that you've only just met. When the season is over, you're like this battered version of yourself. It takes time to recover."
Chmerkovskiy is slated to participate in Sway: A Dance Trilogy 2.0, a live show that features a variety of dances. He will be joined by his little brother Val Chmerkovskiy, Peta Murgatroyd, Sharna Burgess, Henry Byalikov and Jenna Johnson in the production.
Maks was one of the more popular pros for several seasons of Dancing With the Stars but it was only in Season 18 that he was able to nab the Mirrorball Trophy. The 34-year-old dancer admitted that he was comfortable moving on.
"You gotta move on at a time where you're good and I'm good to move on."
Maks' brother Val still remains in the competition on the current season, where he is competing with actress Janel Parrish. It remains to be seen if Chmerkovskiy brothers will win back-to-back seasons of Dancing With the Stars.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
