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Key Points Witney Carson was shocked to be partnered with Robert Irwin on DWTS season 34. Carson described partnering with Robert as "meant to be" and enjoys their supportive dynamic. Both feel pressure to perform well, inspired by Bindi Irwin's past success on the show. Dancing With the Stars pro Witney Carson revealed why she “never in a million years” thought she would ever be partnered with Robert Irwin for season 34 of the competition show. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Tuesday, November 11, Carson, 32, reflected on competing against Robert’s older sister, Bindi Irwin, ten years earlier on DWTS. When asked if she ever imagined she would compete with Robert, 21, Witney made it clear she never thought it would be a possibility. “Never in a million years, and I’ll tell you why — he was so little when he was there [during Bindi’s time on the show] and I had just gotten engaged. Our age gap was very, very big, so that wasn’t even something that came to my mind,” she said. “Even when [it] was announced earlier in the year that he was going to be on the show, I still didn’t think that we would be partnered together.” Carson added “it was honestly a true shock when he walked through the door when we first met [as partners].” She continued, “That was my genuine reaction of just, like, Oh my gosh. Like, I have a Robert Irwin [as my partner.]” While Carson was surprised to have Robert as a partner, she insisted she was happy with their partnership. “I’ve adored their family for years. I love Bindi, so it feels very full circle,” she said. “From the second that he walked into the room for the start of the season, it just felt automatically right and meant to be. So now that it’s happened, it feels right.” Carson went on to note that she and Robert feel “pressure” to do good on the show since Bindi, 27, won season 21 with partner Derek Hough. Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 “If there wasn’t any pressure, then we wouldn’t be as good as we are. We really try and live up to our best potential knowing that there’s inspiration,” she said. “Bindi’s been so lovely and nothing but supportive of everything that we do. She’s so proud of her brother and how far he’s come, and how hard he’s worked. The amount of support from her and his family has been incredible.” Carson added that she believes it’s a “privilege to have that pressure, motivation and encouragement every single week” because they’re reminded “to keep trying to get better and better, get more creative, challenge ourselves.” “I love the pressure, and I love that we get to push ourselves every single week because of how great they were, but because of our standard as well — what we want to achieve,” she said. While Robert has been impressing fans with his dance moves, he initially admitted he had no dance skills before joining the show.
