Is Emma Slater planning to hang up her dancing shoes?
The Dancing With the Stars pro—who joined the ABC competition series in 2013—sparked speculation that she was considering retiring from the ballroom with a cryptic TikTok video earlier this year, but she reshared the clip to assure fans she’s not going anywhere.
“When I posted this exact video back in September it confused a lot of people,” she wrote in a Nov. 28 post on the social media platform. “I wrote a caption that said something like ‘you never know when it will end, thank you DWTS for the ride of my life’ and people thought I was leaving!”
The video saw Emma, 36, looking around the show’s rehearsal studio while a somber musical track played in the background. In her original caption, she described her tenure on the series as “the journey of a lifetime,” adding, “You never know when your time is up so I’m gunna love it every single day.”
But in her new caption, Emma—who is dating fellow pro Alan Bersten—clarified that the pensive post was merely about savoring how much she loves her current gig.
“I was actually just being honest (I mean it’s the truth!),” she explained. “This is the ride of my life and no one knows when this will end. I truly am so thankful, and one day I will watch videos back of this time. And I will be proud because I recognized even in the moment how special this time is.”
“Thank you DWTS,” Emma added, “and thank you to everyone who gets enjoyment from it.”
During the show’s latest season, Emma was paired with Andy Richter, helping him make it to seventh place. And early into their partnership, the comedian made it clear he was learning from the best.
“I luckily was paired with a sweet angel of a ballroom dancer,” he said during an appearance on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast in September. “There were so many people around there—from promo people to security guards to different people like stage hands—[who] are like, ‘You got the best one.’ Because she is just so much fun.”
For a look at all the Dancing With the Stars season 34 pairings, 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