Maksim Chmerkovskiy says he has 'zero interest' in returning to 'DWTS'

Sorry, "Dancing with the Stars" fans -- it looks like fan favorite Maksim Chmerkovskiy is wrapping up his time in the ballroom soon. The 36-year-old dancer returned to the hit ABC show this season after taking a two-year break, but in a new interview with Bravo's The Daily Dish, he makes it clear that he has absolutely no interest in returning for season 24. "First of all, like I've already said, I'm having the best time of my life on "Dancing with the Stars," Chmerkovskiy, who's paired up with Amber Rose this season, says. "It's a known fact. I've said it. I was quoted as saying the production is on point. I feel the love. I feel like everybody's so friendly [and] we all work for the same goal, [which] is to keep dancing in television and produce a beautiful show." "Having said that, I'm telling you right now I have zero
interest in coming back as a dancer [next season]," he adds.
Chmerkovskiy is expecting his first child with his fiancee, fellow DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd, in January. The dancer says his new role as a father is definitely a factor in his current feelings.
"I'm going to have a newborn baby. I have zero want to do this. I promise you that," he explains. "It's been it for me two years ago. I never thought I'd be back here in this position. I'm glad I am. I promise, I'm so glad that I made this decision."
"The baby comes in January and then a month-and-a-half later I would have to be in L.A. to start training with somebody else," he continues. "Trust me, I really don't care how this comes across, but there's no money on the planet that can replace me missing out the three, four, five months of my baby's life. Zero chance. I can't wait for all of this, diapers, and all of this stuff. I can't wait for Peta to pursue her goals and whatever and I just want to be a stay-at-home dad."
Chmerkovskiy has taken breaks from DWTS before. He skipped seasons 16 and 17 of the show, and prior to the current season, he hadn't competed on DWTS since 2014, when he won the season 18 mirror ball trophy with partner Meryl Davis.
Back then, he told ET that he had no intention of competing on the show again. "I don't think so," Chmerkovskiy said when asked if he would be returning the following season. "This is exhausting. It has nothing to do with money. The first thing that I did after hugging her [Meryl] was come up to Derek [Hough] and I was like, 'Dude, I don't know how you do it.' He did it five times. I have no idea."