If you’re tuning into Dancing with the Stars this evening on ABC, you might notice that The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson is being accompanied by a new pro dancer this evening. Don’t panic, there is a very good reason why Charity won’t be dancing with her Week 1 pro Artem Chigvintsev this evening!
As Chigvintsev confirmed on social media hours before Tuesday’s live show, he sadly has contracted COVID-19 and will be skipping tonight’s live show as a precaution.
"“So sad to announce but here it comes I will not be performing with Charity Lawson tonight on Dancing with the Stars due to Covid (Covid sucks), but on a good news Charity is still dancing tonight with amazing Ezra Sosa,” Chigvintsev wrote on Instagram. “They had a tough week. Ezra stepped in like a champ and they have been working really hard these last couple of days so please give them all the love and support you can and don’t forget to vote [by texting] CHARITY to 21523.”"
Stepping in to join Lawson this evening is Dancing with the Stars Troupe member Ezra Sosa, who first joined the show in season 30 shortly after competing in FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance.
The change in partners comes after Lawson wowed the judges in Week 1 with her tango to Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World,” topping the leaderboard as the top scorer of the night. She’ll look to keep that momentum going this week during Latin Night on the show.
Is Artem leaving Dancing with the Stars?
While Artem Chigvintsev will be missing Week 2 of Dancing with the Stars and could potentially miss Week 3 as well depending on how quickly he recovers from COVID-19, Chigvintsev is not leaving the show and will return as Charity Lawson’s partner!
Dancing with the Stars fans will recall something similar happened just last season when Val Chmerkovskiy tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss a week. In that instance, Alan Bersten was brought in as a replacement partner for The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey. Bersten ended up only stepping in for one dance before Chmerkovskiy returned to the competition. It’s expected that we might see a similar timeline with Chigvintsev and Lawson.
Should Chigvintsev test negative and Lawson make it to Week 3, the pair should be reunited on the dance floor in Week 3!
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.