Too cute! Dancing With the Stars pro Mark Ballas took a moment to relax in the cutest way possible ahead of his return to the ballroom bash: he snuggled with his dog, Hendrix.
The two-time mirrorball trophy champ (he won in season 6 with Kristi Yamaguchi and season 8 with Shawn Johnson) looks directly into the camera as his gray and white four-legged pal naps on him.
“The calm before the storm. See you all tmrw at 8pm ✨?✨,” the pro hoofer captioned the sweet moment, referencing the season 25 premiere of the hit ABC show.
Ballas’ return to the ballroom competition after a two-season hiatus was announced on Good Morning America on September 6. The Texas native’s season 25 partner is professional violinist and past America’s Got Talent quarter finalist Lindsey Stirling.
Along with Stirling, celebrities including Nick and Vanessa Lachey, Property Brothers’ Drew Scott, Frankie Muniz, former NBA star Derek Fisher, actor-singer Jordan Fisher and former paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen will all compete for the coveted mirrorball trophy.
Of the twosome’s competition, Ballas opened up to Us Weekly on September 6, saying: “It’s early to tell because we haven’t seen anyone dance yet and every season there is always one person that you wouldn’t expect and all of the sudden you’re like, ‘OK.’ On paper I would say Jordan [Fisher] is really great,” he told Us at the time.“When I was doing Jersey Boys, he was in Hamilton and on my day off, I went to watch him.”
The choreographer added: “If you start thinking, ‘I have to beat this one,’ you’ve got a major problem.This is about your partner.”
The hunk also addressed romance-rumors that sometimes follow pro-partner relationships. “When two people dance in and it’s steamy, people will talk. I would say 80 percent of the time, there’s no truths to the hookups,” the star explained.
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DWTS pro Cheryl Burke, who is partnered with former NFL player Terrell Owens for season 25 will be blogging about her experience exclusively for Us Weekly. ABC’s Dancing With the Stars season 25 premieres Monday, September 18, at 8 p.m. ET
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