Sharna May Burgess is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series Dancing with the Stars. She is the winner of season 27 of American television show Dancing with the Stars with her celebrity partner Bobby Bones, where she has also been a runner-up in several other seasons. She has also been a judge on the Australian version of the show since 2019, along with Craig Revel Horwood and Tristan MacManus.
Early life
Sharna Burgess was born in Wagga Wagga, Australia to Ray and Lucy Burgess on 21 June 1985. Despite being a tomboy, Burgess found a love for dance. Growing up, she was involved in several sports and different styles of dance. At the age of five, she began training in ballet, jazz and gymnastics. When she turned eight, her study of ballroom began, and she went on to win many local and national titles. At age 15, she was chosen to represent Australia at the World Championships in both the Standard and Latin styles, and performed in the 2000 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies.
Career
At age 18, Burgess moved to London, where she collected numerous titles and appeared in a UK tour with the show, Simply Ballroom. Post Simply Ballroom, choreographer Jason Gilkison gave her a spot on tour with Burn the Floor. She was in the cast for six years. Burgess was a member of the Burn the Floor cast when the show moved to Broadway. Burgess' first television appearances were on the Australian Dancing with the Stars and So You ThinkYou Can Dance in Belgium and the Netherlands. She joined the cast of season 13 of Dancing with the Stars as a troupe member. While on the troupe, she also assisted So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Jason Gilkison on both the Australian and American versions of the show. She remained on the troupe until the end of season 15. For season 16, Burgess was bumped to regular pro and was partnered with Andy Dick. She returned as a professional for season 17, this time partnered with retired NFL star Keyshawn Johnson. They were the first couple eliminated. For season 18, she was paired with Olympic ice dancer Charlie White. They were eliminated during week 9 and ended in 5th place despite raves from the judges and high scores throughout the season. Sharna was then confirmed for season 19 on August 27. For season 19, she paired with talk-show hostTavis Smiley. They were eliminated on week 2, finishing in 12th place. For season 20, Burgess was paired with combat veteran and motivational speaker, Noah Galloway. The pair made it to the finals and finished in third place. For season 21, she was paired with Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter. The couple made it to the finals and ended in second place behind winners Bindi Irwin, and her partner Derek Hough. For season 22, she was paired with NFL player Antonio Brown. The couple made it to the semi-finals but were eliminated and finished in 4th place. For season 23, Burgess was partnered with race car driverJames Hinchcliffe. Due to a knee injury from the previous week's dress rehearsal, Burgess had to sit out during week 8-9. Jenna Johnson substituted for her as Hinchcliffe's partner. The couple made it to the finals, and finished in 2nd place behind winners Laurie Hernandez and her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy. For season 24, Burgess was partnered with professional bull riderBonner Bolton. The couple were eliminated on week 8, and finished in fifth place. Burgess returned for season 25 and was paired with former NBA player, Derek Fisher. The couple were eliminated on week 4, and finished in eleventh place. For season 26, she was paired with NFL player Josh Norman. The pair made it to the finals, finishing in second place overall. For season 27, she was partnered with radio personality Bobby Bones. Despite low scores from the judges, they were consistently saved by the viewers' votes and shockingly won the competition. On February 2, 2019, it was announced that Burgess was joining the Australian version of the reality dancing competition series as its sole female judge. Burgess did not return for season 28 of the American version.
Season
Partner
Place
16
Andy Dick
7th
17
Keyshawn Johnson
12th
18
Charlie White
5th
19
Tavis Smiley
12th
20
Noah Galloway
3rd
21
Nick Carter
2nd
22
Antonio Brown
4th
23
James Hinchcliffe
2nd
24
Bonner Bolton
5th
25
Derek Fisher
11th
26
Josh Norman
2nd
27
Bobby Bones
1st
With celebrity partner: Andy Dick (average: 19.3)
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Burgess admitted she knew nothing of Dick's tumultuous past, due to the fact that she was living out of the country. Andy and Sharna continually received low scores and harsh criticisms from the judges. However, Burgess was praised for her work with him.
With celebrity partner: Keyshawn Johnson (average: 17.5)
With celebrity partner: Charlie White (average: 27.0)
With celebrity partner: Tavis Smiley (average: 28.5)
With celebrity partner: Noah Galloway (average: 32.9)
With celebrity partner: Nick Carter (average: 27.2)
With celebrity partner: Antonio Brown (average: 24.7)
With celebrity partner: James Hinchcliffe (average: 36.6)
With celebrity partner: Bonner Bolton (average: 28.9)
With celebrity partner: Derek Fisher (average: 20.0)
With celebrity partner: Josh Norman (average: 25.8)
With celebrity partner: Bobby Bones (average: 22.8)
Personal life
After her performance in the World Championships semi-finals, Burgess discovered she had a small tear in her knee ligament. Rather than take immediate action, she insisted on finishing the competition. She needed knee ligament reconstruction surgery because she ripped two ligaments in half and lost all the meniscus in one knee. She dated choreographer and dancer Paul Kirkland from 2010 to 2015.
