When Dancing With the Stars returns for Season 31, viewers can expect some changes. The show will now air on Disney+ instead of ABC. Season 30 of DWTS was a game-changer because it featured the first same-sex dance partners. Pro Jenna Johnson was paired with pop star JoJo Siwa. They slayed every routine
Jenna’s husband, dance pro Val Chmerkovskiy, had teased fans about whether he would be back in the ballroom for Season 31. Now the couple, who wed on April 13, 2019, are prepping for a big life change.
Jenna told People that she and Val are expecting their first child together. “We got home [from a trip to Cabo] and about two weeks later I was like, ‘Wait a minute, my boobs are feeling very big and very sore. I haven’t started my period yet,’” Jenna explained.
“So, I peed on a stick and immediately it just turned positive. The shock and just disbelief was insane.” The dance pro added, “I couldn’t believe it because it it wasn’t an easy journey for us to get pregnant.”
Jenna continued, “But everybody tells you, ‘When you just relax and you don’t put the stress on yourself, it happens for you.’ That’s exactly what happened.” She added, “I think it was exactly when it was meant to be. Our little baby was created with a lot of love. It all seems so magical and meant to be.”
Jenna planned an unforgettable way to tell Val. “I went and I got these little Baby Jordans, these white sneakers. I put them in a box that was his size of Nikes. Then I put two little pregnancy tests in there,” Jenna explained. “I had been shaking at home waiting for him to come home. So, he nonchalantly walked in and he, ironically enough, had a bag of Nikes.”
She continued, “I was like, ‘Did you go shopping today?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I got myself some new sneakers.’ I’m like, ‘No way. I got some too today.’” Jenna’s idea was perfect!
“He came over and chucked off the lid of the box and started rummaging through it,” Jenna stated. “He looked at the shoes and was like, ‘How small are these sneakers?’ Then it hit him and his face– it was priceless,” the mom-to-be added.
Jenna, who is almost in her second trimester, has been staying positive during her pregnancy. “The first trimester is a scary time and there’s so many things that can go wrong, potentially. I just have taken this time to really relax and try to stay calm and keep my body healthy,” Jenna shared.
“Which has been hard, because I’m a really active person. I love to work out. I love to dance. But I’ve just made it a priority for myself to really make a shift and to prioritize the baby and what was happening and all of these new changes,” the dancer added.
Jenna, who is due in January of 2023, is also embracing her cravings. “I’ve been eating it in abundance. Watermelon. Mangoes. Papaya. Pineapple. I could probably pound hundreds of them in one sitting,” she commented. “Cold smoothies always sounded good. Now, I would say my cravings are pickles. Seriously, I could crack open a jar of pickles at any time of the day and be so stoked,” Jenna said.
The DWTS pro is also enjoying the physical transformation that her body is going through. “Every day when I look in the mirror and I get bigger and bigger, it just hits me what’s happening. I just think I try to find ways to be super grateful and find moments of gratitude,” she stated. “I started a little gratitude journal. Just every day I write what’s happening in my body. What I’ve liked. What I don’t like. But just how magical the experience is,” Jenna said.
And Val is also appreciating the changes that Jenna is experiencing. “Val is just so funny in this whole experience. He is obsessed with my body growing. He’s just obsessed with everything,” Jenna remarked. “The boobs, the butt, the belly. So, for him to be so sweet and positive about my body, has just made me feel so beautiful,” she added.
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Jenna is thrilled and excited to watch Val become a father. “If he is anything like he is as a husband, he’s going to be the best dad in the world. He is so selfless and loving,” Jenna remarked. “Between the two of us, is by far the more patient one. So, I think, all of these little attributes are going to just make him an incredible dad.”
She continued, “When I see him with little kids, he’s the best. He’s always the favorite uncle. Everybody wants to play with him or do something with him,” the expectant mom said. “He just knows how to speak to them and how to handle them. How to make them feel so confident and excited.”
Congratulations, Jenna and Val!
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[Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images]