It's been nearly three years since “Dancing with the Stars” pro Lindsey Arnold announced her retirement, and she has no regrets about it.
In a new interview, the professional dancer, who has appeared on the dance competition series for 10 seasons, spoke candidly about her decision to leave the show at the height of her rise to great fame and success.
“A lot of my priorities and a lot of where I want to spend my time just changed,” she said. people magazine. “My mindset has changed. Time passes 10 times faster when you have kids. But I realized that this time is so precious that you can't get it back.”
'Dancing with the Stars' star Lindsay Arnold announces exit from show: 'I have exhausted all options'
Lindsay Arnold said she had a “changed mindset” before leaving “DWTS.” (Maarten de Boer/ABC via Getty Images)
“What I wanted to feel accomplished in the show was, 'Okay, if I had kids and didn't come back, would I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to do?'” To be honest, I I felt like we were past the stage of being ready. I thought, “Okay, I want this right now,” and I'm glad I waited for that moment because it felt so right. For us. ”
Arnold, who has two daughters, Sage, 4, and June, almost 2, with husband Samuel Cusick, said the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles didn't appeal to her.
Click here to sign up for our entertainment newsletter
“To be honest, I never loved or embraced Hollywood as a place I wanted to live,” she said. “I loved everything about it, what it offered me, what it did for my career, what I was able to do there, but the reality is I was always a pro between seasons. [who] I was planning on sneaking back to Utah to be with my family. This is always where I want to raise my family. ”
Lindsay Arnold, who appeared on the 30th season premiere of Dancing with the Stars, has been on the show for 10 years. (Eric McCandless/ABC)
“Growing up in Utah, city life was never for me,” she added. “But like I said, I know that without that time my life wouldn't be where it is today, so I'm very grateful.”
These days, Arnold continues to make waves on social media with everything from workout tutorials to lifestyle vlogs.
Like what you’re reading? Click here for more entertainment news
“When I decided to walk away from 'Dancing with the Stars,' I didn't have any grand plans to say, 'Okay, this is my career. This is where we're going.' “It's very scary because you don't know how it's going to be received,” she said of becoming an influencer.
“At the time, I was following people on social media who were only following me because of 'Dancing with the Stars.' It was scary. If I were to say, 'I'm sorry. If I say, “I'm not going to be a mother anymore,'' will they just hate me? But what's been really cool is that every step of the way, by being myself and sharing what I do, my career, my involvement, and my community have naturally evolved in the most perfect way. ”
Lindsey Arnold and Jordan Fisher were the Season 25 Mirrorball Trophy winners. (JB Lacroix/Wire Image)
Arnold said she still misses the show, but doesn't regret her decision to leave.
“There are so many things I miss about this show,” she said. “I miss all of my friends who were on the show. The community, the family, it's real. The moment my sister hops on the show, they treat her like a little sister because it's family.”
“What I haven't forgotten is that it's a full-time job. If you want to be good at what you do, if you want to do well, it's a 24/7 job,” she continued. “And when you become a mother, it's a 24/7 job, so that battle is really difficult.”
“It felt like a very natural progression for me, because of course when I chose to walk away from the first season, there was always a moment where I thought, 'Will I regret this?'” she said. said. “I'm so grateful to be able to say I have no regrets. I don't regret one bit of my decision,” she added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
