Britt Stewart Isn’t Going Anywhere

Courtesy Britt StewartWhen Britt Stewart and her partner Taylor Hanson were eliminated just three weeks into the competition on Dancing With the Stars season 35, fans weren’t just shocked—they were angry. In her seven-season run as a pro, Britt has reached the finals, and for the past three seasons, she hasn’t even made it past week three. “Justice for Britt” began trending. “Give her a ringer!” fans pleaded. One tabloid even claimed that—according to an “insider”—Britt was ready to quit.The 37-year-old pro is, in many ways, a unicorn. In addition to being the first Black woman to be cast as a pro (and only one of three Black pros ever cast), Britt did not grow up training at Center Stage Performing Arts in Utah or dominating the competitive ballroom and Latin circuits. She made her season 22 debut on DWTS as a member of the troupe without any formal training, and over the past decade, she’s worked tirelessly to prove her worth.Courtesy of Britt StewartSo when I ask about those headlines claiming that she’s “talking about quitting,” Britt just smiles and tells me, “I know I haven’t accomplished all that I could.” It’s not explicit reassurance that the rumors are false, but it’s enough to put me at ease.During our conversation, the beloved DWTS pro opened up about everything from the pressure of being the “only one,” the myth of a “ringer,” and the reason why her showmance with actor Daniel Durant has gone the distance.For me, the most disappointing part of an early elimination is that the partnership ends before you really get a chance to develop it. What was something the audience didn’t get a chance to see from your partnership with Taylor Hanson? I’ve said it before, but Taylor works so hard. His work ethic is not like anything I’ve seen before. He really dives into whatever project he’s working on, and so he did that with Dancing With the Stars. And I felt like right when we got eliminated is when he was starting to allow himself to enjoy it. I just wish that the audience would have been able to see him really relax into the process a little bit more because I truly believe it would have been a beautiful journey for him.On the LadyGang Podcast, you spoke about how your face betrayed you during that elimination. How hard is it to keep that performance going when you experience disappointment or make a mistake on air? It is hard when you are a person who wears your heart on your sleeve. I pride myself on my authenticity, and so you just saw all parts of me in that moment. I wasn’t angry at all. I was sad, and I was disappointed. But, you know, the show must go on. I allowed myself to process all of my feelings, and I am still showing up every week, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity that I have. All of us pros go through it, and that’s why we’re able to return each and every season—because we keep going.Eric McCandless//Getty ImagesTaylor said he requested you as his partner because you “represent the spirit of why this show is great,” which is why it really broke my heart when you apologized to him following your elimination. Is it difficult for you to separate your responsibilities as a teacher from the outcome of the competition?I’m still working on that, because I do put a lot of pressure on myself. I take a lot of responsibility to make each and every single dance incredible and to make sure that the journey for my partner is fulfilling and enjoyable, and I’m still working on separating the result from the process.There has been a lot of talk about you deserving a “ringer,” but what does your ideal partner look like? It’s so interesting, because I don’t think that there is a “ringer” anymore. I think sometimes you have someone who comes on the show that you think is going to be absolutely incredible, and they just don’t connect with our audience, or vice versa. What I do know is that for me, as a pro, I love to have someone who wants to be there and who can go deep, because the more that I can connect with someone, the better I am at storytelling.Courtesy of Britt StewartCourtesy of Britt StewartSpeaking of connecting with a partner, would you say it was love at first sight with Daniel? It was…definitely a development. American Sign Language is so physical and so expressive, so when Daniel tells the story, it’s like a bit dramatic when he’s like, “There was zero attraction.” But it’s just a little inside joke now that we have with each other. There was not an initial attraction, but there was an initial chemistry of two souls meeting that get along. That meeting then became a team, and then a friendship, and it wasn’t until after we were eliminated that we both realized it was more than a friendship. Once we allowed ourselves to cross that threshold, then both of us knew that this was going to be something significant.I love how you support your husband and the Deaf community by using ASL where you can on the show. Having been on DWTS himself, how does Daniel show up for you throughout the highs and lows of each season? He knows the ins and outs of all that the show involves, so he’s able to be a support system for me. And sometimes I make him do a dance move or two with me. I’ll be stuck on this part of the choreography, and I’ll be like, “I just need a body,” and I’ll make him get off the couch and dance with me, but not too much. He wishes I did it more.John Parra//Getty ImagesBeing the first and only Black female pro can’t be easy. Are you able to ever think about your progress and goals as an individual without worrying about what you’re representing? It is a responsibility that I’m hyper-aware of, and I’ve had a couple moments where I’ve almost let that pressure get to me. The first time I really felt it was before my debut as a pro on the show back in 2020, and it wasn’t in the rehearsals leading up to it or even when I found out that I was becoming a pro. It was minutes before the premiere of the season that I just broke down. I called my mom, and she really found a way to ground me in that moment—which is no surprise, because I was raised by a very powerful and loving Black woman.In those moments when I’m feeling nerves or disappointed in the results, I don’t think about myself. I think, I want to succeed because I want little Black girls to see me hold up that trophy or I want them to see me thrive in an environment where I am the only one, so that they know that it is possible. But I don’t let that get to me, and I don’t let that crush my confidence in who I am and what I know that my purpose is.Did getting involved with Share the Movement help you realize that purpose? How and when [my involvement] came about feels very divine and very kismet. It was during 2020, during the pandemic and the unrest in America with George Floyd. Share the Movement started out of conversations with a group of us about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our professional dance community. And from there, those conversations turned into our mission, which is to financially and educationally support young BIPOC dancers.Competitive ballroom and Latin dance are historically not that diverse, even though they’re rooted in and come from Black and brown cultures, so we believe in creating this amazing foundation so that there are more opportunities. And it’s kismet that those conversations were happening a little bit before I became the first Black female pro on Dancing With the Stars and a direct reflection of what our mission is all about.Courtesy of Britt StewartWas it intimidating for you to join the cast without having the competitive ballroom pedigree that some of your fellow pros have? It was a little bit intimidating, I will say. I am really the only person who comes from a different background and a different community. I’m not from Utah. I’m not from the traditional Latin ballroom space. But I was welcomed very openly, and I think it was a blessing that I came on as troupe and that I didn’t enter the space as a pro already. It gave me time to dive into the world and to really take the proper steps to learn it correctly.After you were eliminated this season, The Sun ran a piece claiming that you were talking about quitting. Is there any truth to that, or do you see yourself staying for as long as Dancing With the Stars will have you?The first thing I thought about when I saw that [headline] was when I was approached by a little Black girl at Dancing With the Stars. She came up to me and said, “You are amazing, good job,” and I said, “Thank you so much.” I gave her a high-five, but her mom then followed and said, “Every time my daughter saw you go on the floor, she just, like, gasped. You being in the ballroom means so much for us and for my little girl.”And so when I see something like that [headline], I just think, you know, that girl would be so disappointed in me if I don’t accomplish what I want to accomplish. And I know I haven’t accomplished all that I could.