Witney Carson: Carson returns to DWTS Season 35 pregnant with Guillermo Rodriguez
Witney Carson is competing on Dancing With the Stars Season 35 while four months pregnant with her third child. She is partnered with comedian Guillermo Rodriguez, and the available reporting establishes that the pair were scheduled to perform in the season premiere, but not how far they will advance or the result of their first dance. (TODAY, Page Six)
Carson returns to DWTS Season 35 pregnant with Guillermo Rodriguez
Carson announced her pregnancy and her return to the competition on Aug. 17, the same day Dancing With the Stars announced that she would dance with Rodriguez. She and her husband, Carson McAllister, are expecting their third child; the couple already have two sons. (TODAY)
The season represents a return for Carson after she won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy with Robert Irwin the previous fall. She is a two-time champion, having also won Season 19 with Alfonso Ribeiro, according to an interview published before the premiere. (Yahoo Entertainment)
Carson told TODAY that she and McAllister wanted to grow their family but did not view pregnancy as a reason to put her career on hold. She described the opportunity to compete while continuing her pregnancy as a chance to prove to herself that she could do both. (TODAY)
How pregnancy is affecting her preparation
Carson said she has been listening to her body and taking the pregnancy day by day. She told Page Six that she had not been restricted from specific moves so far, but needed to be cautious about jumping from high places. She expects her choreography to remain broadly similar to previous seasons, with fewer elaborate tricks. (Page Six)
In another pre-premiere interview, she said she had been feeling good and had enough energy to complete the work needed for the show. She also said the pregnancy had made the experience feel vulnerable because her body was changing in front of the television audience, while describing the support from the cast and crew as empowering. (Yahoo Entertainment)
Her stated priority remains her health and the baby’s health. Carson said she is not approaching the season mentally or physically as a fundamentally different competition, but is being careful not to overdo it. (TODAY)
The premiere performance and what remains unknown
The Season 35 premiere was scheduled for Sept. 15. Carson and Rodriguez were set to perform a cha cha to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff.” She described Rodriguez as funny, heartwarming and adorable in her interview with TODAY, while another interview characterized him as fun, kind and hilarious. (TODAY, Yahoo Entertainment)
Carson has framed the season around empowerment, saying she wants to show that becoming a parent does not require women to give up the parts of themselves they value. The latest available reports confirm her pregnancy, partnership and planned premiere routine, but do not establish the pair’s score, elimination status or performance outcome.