Emma Slater is addressing rumors that she might be leaving Dancing with the Stars next season.
The pro dancer joined the reality competition in Season 17 back in 2013 and has been with the show ever since. In her most recent season, she was paired with Andy Richter.
“I was like, ‘What rumor?’ They said, ‘Are you retiring this year?’ And I could see how a rumor like that would be starting, because they’re looking at me like, ‘She’s the old girl,’” Slater recalled on Richter’s SiriusXM podcast Three Questions with Andy Richter.
Slater noted that she has had “the most incredible time” on the ABC competition and has no plans of leaving and wants to “go through it as long as I can go for.”
“I would like it to be on my decision, I think,” Slater said. “But I’ve decided that I’m going to expect to be there, and if and when they say I’m not invited anymore, I’ll conquer that when it happens.”
However, Slater said that if she was not asked to return, she would still want to be involved with DWTS and suggested she would ask to be a producer, later adding, “As soon as I feel like I’m going to be choked out, I’ll pull the ageism thing. ‘This is what Hollywood does to women as they age!’”
Throughout her time on DWTS, Slater won the competition in Season 24 when she was paired with Rashad Jennings. Other stars Slater has been paired with include James Van Der Beek (Season 28), Drew Scott (Season 25), Charles Oakley (Season 29), Trevor Donovan (Season 31), and Mauricio Umansky (Season 32).
