Welcome back, Witney Carson! The 24-year-old Dancing With the Stars pro has confirmed she will return to the ballroom for the hit reality show’s next season following the tragic death of her father-in-law. When a fan asked Witney if she’d participate in DWTS‘ upcoming Season 26 via Instagram on Wednesday, March 14, she replied, “Yes, I’ll still be doing the show.”
Witney recently announced on Instagram that her beloved father-in-law, Kevin McAllister, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. “After two long years of battling and fighting tremendously… our sweet Kevin passed away last night. Although it will be excruciatingly painful at times to live without him, we know he lives on around us being our guardian angel wherever we go. We’re so grateful for the time we’ve had with him on this earth and we know he’s in a better place,” Witney wrote on Friday, March 9.
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“It’s hard not to think, why does my husband [Carson McAllister] have to live without his dad? Why do my kids not ever get to know their Poppy? And then I remember the Plan of Salvation, to know we will see him again… and that gives me peace. I know Kevin is getting our kids ready to come down to meet us — he’s probably spinning them around on the floor right now, over and over again until they cry of laughter! We know you’ll be there when we can’t see you or hold you — lift us up when we have moments of trouble and heartache. Our guardian angel. We love you, Kev. Until we meet again,” she continued.
Months earlier, Witney revealed to her fans that she was dropping out of the DWTS: Live! Light Up the Night tour to deal with a personal family matter. “My heart hurts to tell you all that I will not be able to do the DWTS tour this winter. This is an extraordinarily difficult time for us, I hope all of you can understand that my place is here with my family. Right now, my focus needs to be on my family and especially on my husband… I love my fans and I feel so devastated that I can’t be there, but know that my heart is there with you,” she wrote on Instagram in December 2017.
Though we’re not exactly sure when the next season of DWTS is set to air on ABC, TV sources have predicted the show will return this April and will feature only athletes. However, host Tom Bergeron recently tweeted that “the four-week mini-season in the spring is a bite-size, spray tanned spin-off” and that Season 26 of Dancing With the Stars “will be next fall.” No word yet on whether the April show will be a completely new concept — perhaps it’s Dancing With the Stars Jr.? — or a continuation of the classic series. Either way, we’re glad Witney is back in the ballroom!
