Sharna Burgess’ family is her top priority, but returning to Dancing With the Stars for season 35 was exactly what she needed to be the best version of herself.
“Being away from Zane like this was new so it was hard on my mama heart,” Burgess, 41, wrote via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, November 4, admitting spending time away from her 4-year-old son was the most challenging part of being back on DWTS. “I’d leave before he woke up and return when he was asleep sometimes for nearly a week.”
While there were struggles with her busy ballroom schedule, Burgess said it was worth it.
“It’s so hard but at the same time so important for him to see me chasing my dreams and learning what work ethic and drive look like,” the Australian dancer explained. “He had all of me for three years and now it’s time for me to have me, to rebuild all the things that were paused.”
Burgess, who shares her son with fiancé Brian Austin Green, added, “I love that he will have both versions.” (Green, 53, also shares three children with ex-wife Megan Fox and son Kassius, 24, with ex Vanessa Marcil.)
When Burgess is not working, she said she is “all in and present in all ways” at home. Zane also “gets to hear about” her work life, “watch it on TV or come watch me onstage.”
Burgess’ son often visited her at the studio to “see what that looks like” as she competed alongside Bachelorette alum Tyler Cameron.
“He gets the best of both worlds and so do I,” Burgess said of her work-life balance.
After 14 seasons as a DWTS pro, Burgess took time away from the show in 2022, the same year Zane was born.
She made her comeback for season 35 in September, but she and Cameron, 33, were sent home in a double elimination during Horror Movie Night.
Before being voted off, Burgess exclusively opened up to Us about how she and Green balance their busy careers with being parents.
“I don’t think there is a secret. I think sometimes we nail it and sometimes we don’t,” she noted. “I think that’s life. And yeah, and it just ebbs and flows, and you try and be a good team and you try and figure it out.”
Burgess added that her family life was also part of the reason she would only be joining the DWTS live tour for “a couple of weeks” when the season ends.
“I’m so excited to go back on tour with everyone,” she shared with Us last month. “My life is not a life where I could just leave for three months. I can’t take Zane with me, like, there’s a lot of things in it. … That’s nothing unusual for our life, going away and working for a few weeks at a time. A few months [is] definitely different.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
