DWTS Pro Emma Slater Addresses Retirement Speculation

Dancing With the Stars pro Emma Slater is addressing speculation that she may be hanging up her ballroom shoes.

“When I posted this exact video back in September it confused a lot of people. 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!” Slater, 36, wrote via TikTok on Friday, November 28.

Alongside the message, Slater shared a sentimental video of her standing in the DWTS rehearsal room. As she pointed to the show’s sign, Slater gave a soft smile for the camera.

“I was actually just being honest (I mean it’s the truth!) this is the ride of my life and no one knows when it will end,” she continued. “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.”

@emmaslaterofficial

When I posted this exact video back in September it confused a lot of people. 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! I was actually just being honest (I mean it’s the truth!) 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 and thank you to everyone who gets enjoyment from it. And that’s probably you!!! So thank you ❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰 P.s if you want to live more in gratitude try the book called ‘The Magic’.

♬ original sound – Emma Slater

She concluded, “Thank you DWTS and thank you to everyone who gets enjoyment from it. And that’s probably you!!! So thank you.”

While sharing the same video in September, Slater seemingly hinted at her future with a cryptic caption.

“Thank you #DWTS for the journey of a lifetime,” she wrote via TikTok at the time. “You never know when your time is up so I’m gunna love it every single day.”

Fans of DWTS and Slater were quick to chime in and publicly speculate about her place on the show.

“I don’t like this riddle,” one user wrote, while another added, “Why does this feel like a goodbye video? Yet the season hasn’t even started yet.”

Others, however, guessed that Slater was simply writing a message of gratitude and was in no way hinting at her reality TV future.

“That’s not what people are meaning of thinking she’s not gonna be on the show after this season,” a third wrote. “She’s just saying you never know when you won’t get called back again by the show have nothing to do with her partner this year.”

Slater ultimately finished DWTS season 34 in 7th place alongside her partner, comedian Andy Richter, who captured fans’ hearts. (Robert Irwin and pro Witney Carson ultimately won the competition earlier this month.)

After the pair’s elimination, Slater reflected on their partnership with a series of clips from their season.

“All I can really say right now is I love you Andy and thank you for changing my life. I’m so glad now we are family. 💛,” Slater wrote via Instagram earlier this month. “@richtercommaandy I cried about a million times putting this together. Look at these memories. You are SO SPECIAL.”

Richter, for his part, gushed that he was grateful for the experience — which included both physical and mental toughness.

“I really started to enjoy it and started to feel transformed by it and started to like the exercise,” he told People earlier this month. “There was just a lightness to me, I mean in attitude. I was able to sort of feel like, yeah, I’m going to do this.”