Sharna Burgess says it was a 'huge shock' she wasn't asked back to Dancing With the Stars

Sharna Burgess is dealing with more disappointment than comes with a Dancing With the Stars elimination.

The pro dancer, who has appeared on 14 seasons of the ABC hit and won season 27 with partner Bobby Bones, was not asked to return for season 32 of the reality competition. And on the premiere episode of her new podcast Oldish, Burgess said the decision came as a "huge shock" to her.

Burgess was initially slated to return last year for season 31, but she had only given birth to her son with Brian Austin Green (her season 30 partner) eight weeks prior to the season premiere. Wanting to spend time with her newborn, she decided to opt out, while also making it clear she wanted to come back for season 32.

"It just felt like I needed to sit in motherhood with Zane," she said. "It was always within the context of 'I want to come back next year,' and they said, 'Of course, we love you. We'll always have you.' And I did drop in and let them know, 'It goes without saying, but I'd love to be back next season, or this season. Hopefully I'll get to come hang out with you guys.'"

Despite expressing her eagerness to producers, Burgess said she never got a call to come back and only found out she wasn't being asked to return through fellow professional dancers on the show getting their own phone calls. "I realized when those spots were all filled, and I was like, 'Oh my God, I didn't get the call,'" she said. "I didn't get any phone call at this point. I didn't get confirmed whether on or off. I just knew from other people. And that was really hard."

Representatives for the show declined to comment.

Burgess said that while the initial realization came as a shock, it wasn't the first difficult moment she faced regarding Dancing With the Stars. "My last five years with the show have been rocky," she recalled. "Not because of the show. I love the show deeply. We had a new executive producer come in five years ago, and I had just won with Bobby Bones, and he decided to not bring me back. There's a lot of speculation as to why. My win with Bobby was the most explosive end, controversial win of Dancing With the Stars history. So I got caught up in this whirlwind of hate for that win, which was really yucky."

Burgess was asked to return for season 29, but said that ended up being a negative experience as well. "I had a partner that was really difficult," she said. "And I wasn't able to be in the room alone with him after the first few weeks, because of things that happened."

Burgess did not name her partner, but in season 29 she danced with Desperate Housewives actor Jesse Metcalfe. A representative for Metcalfe said in a statement to EW, "Although these vague insinuations are annoying and reckless, there is really no story here. Jesse is a gentleman and has chosen to take the high road."

The following season, Burgess danced with Green, her life partner and podcast cohost, but the two were frustrated with what they saw as the producers' decision to focus solely on their relationship rather than any other aspect of their stories. "In five years, I feel like I haven't had the opportunity to truly do what I do," Burgess said. "I'm still a girl who loves to tell a story and dance her ass off, but I haven't had the opportunity."

Still, Burgess said she'll always be a fan of Dancing With the Stars, especially with executive producer Conrad Green back on board. "Two things can be true," she explained. "I can love the show and be excited for everyone, but I can also be really sad and heartbroken that I don't get to do that this season, and I don't know if that means I'll never get to do it again."

For her part, Burgess is uncertain whether she would return for season 33 if asked. "Who knows what is ahead of me," she said. "Who knows if I will go back or I won't go back next year. If the last season that I ever get to do is the season I did with Bri, that's really freaking beautiful. There's something stunning about the fact that I got to do my last season on a show that I love with the love of my life. He got to see a part of me. That's a gorgeous way to go out."

Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars will premiere on ABC later this fall.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The 15 best Dancing With the Stars winners, ranked
• Jamie Lynn Spears joins the cast of Dancing With the Stars for season 32
• Dancing With the Stars' Witney Carson says she won't appear in upcoming season: 'I hope it's not goodbye'