Maksim Chmerkovskiy Rethinks ‘DWTS’ Future, Teases Real Retirement From Professional Dancing

Maksim Chmerkovskiy could be done on the dance floor—for real this time. Chmerkovskiy, who was eliminated on the 24th season of Dancing with the Stars two weeks ago, told Entertainment Tonight he has some serious thinking to do regarding his future as a professional dancer. Maksim was sidelined for nearly a month this season on Dancing with the Stars after suffering a serious calf injury while rehearsing with celebrity partner Heather Morris.

“We’ll see,” Chmerkovskiy said when asked about his future on the ABC dancing competition.

“Listen, the show is amazing. We had a great time again. It’s becoming a bit of a continuous thing. My calf muscle injury made me think about things and try to maybe, you know, some things that I left for after [my] dance career, maybe that’s coming on a little faster than I expected. So, we’ll see what happens.”

Maksim went on to say that like any athlete, there’s a point will he will be forced to retire.

“When you think ahead, at one point you stop dancing like a basketball player retires, and you can’t do it no more, so sometimes your body tells you things,” Chmerkovskiy told ET.” “I’m not sure if this injury was that sign, but it kind of felt, you know, s**tty to miss three full weeks of the competition where the partner you get … their success belongs on your availability, and I felt bad, so I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.”

Of course, longtime fans know Maksim has teased his retirement multiple times and even took off a few seasons from DWTS to focus on acting and some of his other interests. After taking two seasons off, Chmerkovskiy returned to the ballroom and won his first (and, so far, only) mirrorball trophy with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis. After his big win, Maksim told The View he was ready to hang it up.

“I’m done dancing,” the Maksim told The View co-hosts shortly after his Season 18 win. “I feel like it’s time.”

“I feel blessed and very honored,” Chmerkovskiy said, according to ABC News. “I left the show, when I came back to the show, the show was not the same.”

#Bond #Duo #Everything #Month http://t.co/4l8WeUFhA2 Maksim Chmerkovksiy and Meryl … pic.twitter.com/vbsgIq2ppT

— ? The Daily Gawk ? (@DailyGawk) June 26, 2014

Maksim continued his retirement tease in an interview with TV Guide that same year.

“I personally don’t see myself doing it again,” Chmerkovskiy said of Dancing with the Stars.

“I don’t need to win the show multiple times to be satisfied. I need excitement… Maybe tomorrow something will change and I will say, ‘Let’s do this again.’ But I really don’t see that happening.”

Chmerkovskiy then clarified his comments, making it clear that he wasn’t saying he wants to “part ways with the show”—and he didn’t want his loyal fans to part ways, either.

“I just don’t know if I have it in me to feel what I felt this season,” Maksim said. “I felt so much with Meryl that I don’t know if I’m capable of doing that on call because I have to… But I want all the people who supported me all these years while I was annoying and unreasonable to stay and watch. Don’t stop watching because I’m no longer there.”

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has been very back and forth regarding his status on Dancing with the Stars. Even with the most current season, fans were stunned when Maks signed on to partner with Heather Morris because he had previously stated he planned to be a stay-at-home dad to his newborn son, Shai, and that no amount of money would change his decision.

“I’m telling you right now I have zero interest in coming back as a dancer [next season],” Maksim told Bravo’s the Daily Dish last fall. “I’m going to have a newborn baby. I have zero want to do this. I promise you that. It’s been it for me two years ago. Trust me, I really don’t care how this comes across, but there’s no money on the planet that can replace me missing out the three, four, five months of my baby’s life. Zero chance.”

After Chmerkovskiy was announced as part of the Season 24 cast, he told Us Weekly he decided to join his fiancée Peta Murgatroyd for at least one more season of Dancing with the Stars.

“I had a blast last season and this season is special because Peta is coming back,” Chmerkovskiy told Us. “I just want to support her and at the same time, maybe have some healthy competition in the family?”

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]