Lindsay Arnold Announces She Won’t Return to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 31: “One of the Hardest Decisions to Make”

Dancing with the Stars is losing a series staple just ahead of its Disney+ debut. Nearly a decade after first joining as a choreographer, Lindsay Arnold is stepping away from Season 31 of the hit dance competition show in what she describes as “one of the hardest decisions to make.”

In a lengthy Instagram post, which she began by pointing out that, “This show has changed my life forever and will always mean the world to me,” Arnold explained that her decision to leave DWTS was up to logistics. The dancer, who has a young daughter, told fans that she would have to move herself and her daughter, Sage, to Los Angeles to film, leaving behind her husband, who works full-time in their home state of Utah.

“We exhausted every option we could think of to make it work but at the end of the day none of the options felt good in my heart or felt like the right thing for our lives right now,” she said, adding that they are also currently trying to expand their family.

Arnold explained that the decision has nothing to do with her love for the show before going on to say that it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end for her and DWTS. She said that while “the decision has been so hard to make,” she feels “so much peace about it.”

Arnold first appeared on Season 16 of DWTS as a professional dancer — the second-youngest pro dancer on the show following Julianne Hough. From Season 17 to Season 20, she was a part of the dance troupe before being promoted back to a professional in Season 21.

The dancer did exceptionally well with her celebrity dance partners over the years, finishing in third place with NFL player Calvin Johnson Jr. during Season 23, second place with MLB catcher David Ross in Season 24, and first place with Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between actor Jordan Fisher in Season 25. Most recently, she danced with The Bachelor star Matt James, though they were eliminated in 12th place.

Despite deciding to leave, Arnold said, “I can’t wait to watch this next season of DWTS and see all of my friends dance, I’m going to be the biggest fan girl!”

Dancing with the Stars Season 31 premieres Sept. 19 on Disney+.