Brooke Burke does not like to dwell on the past.
The Dancing With the Stars alum, who was a contestant on the ABC competition series in 2008 before returning as co-host in the early 2010s, recently shared why she isn’t joining Tom Bergeron, the OG pros and more in returning for its 20th anniversary Nov. 11.
“I never say no just to never close doors, professionally, but that was eight seasons and I did everything I needed to do in the ballroom,” Brooke detailed during a Nov. 4 appearance on I Choose Me podcast with Jennie Garth. “Amazing relationships. At the time, it was one of the most watched shows on television. It would be hard to go back there with the same level of excitement and appreciation.”
As the 54-year-old put it, “A redo is hard for me. I feel like I wrung it out and did everything I needed to do on that show.”
But while Brooke—who shares Neriah, 25, and Sierra, 23, with ex Garth Fisher, as well as Rain, 18, and Shaya, 17 with ex David Charvet—isn’t stepping back into her dancing shoes, she looked back extremely fondly on her over four years on the show.
“It was a silly reality competition but it was so much more than that for me because you face your fears, you get out of your comfort zone,” Brooke—who took home the season seven Mirrorball trophy with then-pro Derek Hough—reflected. “I like to do scary things. Training like an athlete, learning how to think like an athlete.”
Being a contestant, Brooke noted was “one of the hardest things,” she’d ever done, emphasizing it was “terrifying.”
However, the experience not only earned her a huge win, but also informed her experience stepping in alongside longtime host Tom—who was with the franchise from 2005 to 2019—when she signed on to host the series from season 10 through 17.
“Being a host allowed me to bring a different level of compassion and connection to that skillset,” Brooke explained. “I knew what it was like when nobody wanted to talk to me or they couldn’t hear me or they were so upset or their adrenaline was so high.”
Indeed, the mom of four felt her time in the spotlight made her peek behind the curtain even more rewarding.
“It allowed me to be a much more colorful and competent host because I knew both sides of it,” she added. “It was so much fun, it was such a great show to work on. What a blessing that show was.”
For a look at who is experiencing the blessing that is Dancing With the Stars season 34, keep reading…
Baron Davis
Partnered with Britt Stewart
Jennifer Affleck
Partnered with Jan Ravnik
Alix Earle
Partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski
Dylan Efron
Partnered with Daniella Karagach
Corey Feldman
Partnered with Jenna Johnson
Elaine Hendrix
Partnered with Alan Bersten
Robert Irwin
Partnered with Witney Carson
Jordan Chiles
Partnered with Ezra Sosa
Scott Hoying
Partnered with Rylee Arnold
Whitney Leavitt
Partnered with Mark Ballas
Hilaria Baldwin
Partnered with Gleb Savchenko
Andy Richter
Partnered with Emma Slater
Danielle Fishel
Partnered with Pasha Pashkov