Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Derek Hough, a three-time champ, will not be participating in Season 12 of the popular ABC hit reality show when it kicks off in March.
Derek will be making a movie instead. He has snagged the role of a New Orleans street dancer in a Romeo and Juliet-style love story titled Cobu 3D.
He has actually put on 10 lbs of muscle while training for the new venture. Filming will take place in New York and Toronto this spring. Hough said: “People will see a much edgier side of me and these other styles of dance I’m capable of doing.”
He did offer up assurances that he will rejoin the cast for Season 13: “I will be making it back to Dancing with the Stars in the fall. I’m just taking a little break and taking this chance to grow and expand a little bit as an artist. It’s like I told one of the producers on the show — I’ll come back with a whole new set of skills.”
He is the only pro dancer to win three Mirror Ball trophies. His winning partners: Brooke Burke in Season 7, Nicole Scherzinger in Season 10 and Jennifer Grey in Season 11.
Rumors are flying about who will make the Season 12 cut. Names being tossed around include: Lorenzo Lamas, Donna D’Errico, Jodie Sweetin, Lindsay Lohan, Maria Kanellis, Julie Benz, Kendra Wilkinson, and Mischa Barton.
Check out Derek’s victory photos below:
Photos: WENN