Tusday night’s “ Dancing With the Stars ” special may be celebrating the holiday season with musical performances and festive routines, but co-host Julianne Hough is also celebrating Season 34 — and her long-running career on the show.
“I feel like it’s just part of my DNA now, and I think that’s because I have been on the show for so many years in different roles, there’s almost a familiarity for other people as well,” she tells Variety .
Hough joined the series in 2007 as a pro dancer on Season 4, winning both her first and second seasons. She continued on the show through Season 8, leaving ahead of fall 2009’s 9th season. Over the next few years, she returned for specific dances and in 2013, became the first former pro to return as a guest judge, which she did for both Seasons 1

VARIETY