heidi damelio walk out© Photo: Getty Images

DWTS' Heidi D'Amelio details pressure and wanting to walk out ahead of first dance

She stuck through, though!

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
September 20, 2022

Dancing with the Stars may hold a lot of glitz and glamor for its viewers and fans, but for the contestants, it's an extreme amount of hard work.

MORE: Len Goodman pays tribute to the Queen in emotional comment on DWTS

The pressure often gets to them, causing them to suffer when it comes to their performances, and it was a feeling that one of the stars on the season premiere definitely felt.

VIDEO: Dancing with the Stars season 31 cast

During the landmark but divisive 31st season premiere show, TikTok star Heidi D'Amelio admitted after her dance that she was on the verge of walking out.

In her introductory package, while she was shown as being excited to dance, she revealed a good deal of frustration and difficulty as well.

MORE: Carrie Ann Inaba in tears during DWTS premiere as she praises Selma Blair's performance

When asked by co-host Alfonso Ribeiro after her performance with professional partner Artem Chigvintsev what she perceived her biggest obstacle to be, she responded: "My own self.

"I get in my own way, I get in my head. On Wednesday, I thought I was gonna walk away because I was not feeling good and I was very frustrated."

Heidi's strong performance almost never happened

However, she detailed that the one thing that kept her going was her partner and his motivation, adding: "But Artem was very good about pushing me gently

"And it took a couple days to get through it, but then I was feeling good," she ended to a round of applause and encouragement.

MORE: Divisive Dancing with the Stars season 31 makes emotional first elimination

MORE: Here are the contestants for Dancing with the Stars season 31

Heidi and Artem danced the cha-cha-cha to Lady Marmalade and received mostly positive responses from the judges. 

They commended her for her raw talent and flair while asking her to bring more confidence and projection, eventually scoring a 24 out of 40, placing them squarely in the middle of the pack.

Her daughter Charli was the night's top performer

On the other end, however, was her daughter, Charli D'Amelio, paired with Mark Ballas, who not only supported her mom, but also delivered the night's top scoring routine.

Charli and Mark received rave reviews from the judges after their own cha-cha-cha, securing a 32 to establish themselves as early frontrunners.

Read more HELLO! US stories here

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more