Zendaya is 'still harboring a little animosity' over losing “Dancing With the Stars”: 'It was highly stressful'

It’s been over a decade since Zendaya took to the ballroom on Dancing With the Stars and, honestly, she still has some thoughts about how her season ended. 

The Challengers actress, who was only 16 years old when she competed on the ABC dance competition, revealed in a recent W Magazine cover story that she doesn’t keep up with the series anymore after she and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy ended up placing second on its season 16 finale in 2013. 

When the interviewer claimed that she and Chmerkovskiy “should have won” the show, Zendaya replied, “Listen, I'm still harboring a little animosity about that.”

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related: Zendaya reflects on serving up a pop culture and critical hit with Challengers in EW's The Awardist digital magazine

At the time, Zendaya was a Disney Channel star who had grown up singing, acting, and dancing on shows like Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover. The Dune star explained that it was devastating to lose out on the Mirrorball trophy at such a young age.

“I felt that loss. I was only 16 years old, and it was highly stressful,” she said. “Being on live television every week? It’s so scary.” 

She also wished that her younger self had embraced a more carefree approach to the show. “I took it very seriously, which, in retrospect, I wish I didn’t. I wish I’d enjoyed it a little bit more and just was like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ You know what I mean?” she added. “But I was stressing myself out. I really went through it on that.”

Zendaya and Chmerkovskiy danced the samba, freestyle, and the jive as part of DWTS’ two-night finale in 2013. Despite receiving 10s across the board from the judges for their smooth moves, the pair placed second and American Idol alum Kellie Pickler and her partner Derek Hough were crowned the winners. 

Related: The Challengers cast honored by Naomi Osaka as one of EW's 2024 Entertainers of the Year

Zendaya previously reflected on her ballroom experience in an October episode of Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast, where she admitted that she’d never been an avid fan of the show.

“I didn't really watch Dancing With the Stars before I was on Dancing With the Stars. I don't think I was the target demographic. My grandma loves Dancing with the Stars, that's her bag,” she said. “But yeah, I also think it was a very stressful experience. I was like, I don't think I'm gonna be watching this anymore.”

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly