Zendaya reflects on her DWTS season 16 loss to Kellie Pickler

More than 10 years have passed since then Zendaya competed on Dancing with the starsbut she is still upset about the final results of her season.

The actress, 28, famously competed on season 16 of the ABC competition series in 2013. After a high-scoring season alongside her partner Val Chmerkovskyhe eventually lost Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough.

“Listen, I still hold a little animosity about it,” Zendaya said In a magazine in an interview published on Friday, January 3. “I felt the loss. I was only 16 years old and it was very stressful.’

Competing on live TV every week was something Zendaya said was “so scary,” adding, “I took it very seriously, which in retrospect I wish I didn’t.” I wish I’d enjoyed it a little more and said, ‘Eh, whatever.’ Do you know what I mean? But I was stressed. I really got through it (the show).”

Zendaya went on to note that she doesn’t watch these days DWTS despite being on it. She revealed it for the first time in an interview on “The Awardist” Podcast. last year, sharing that she she hasn’t tuned in since her season.

“I didn’t look Dancing with the stars since I was on (it),” she said in October 2024. “I really didn’t watch Dancing with the stars than I was on Dancing with the stars. I don’t think I was the target demographic. My grandmother likes Dancing with the stars. That’s her bag.”

She continued: “I also think it was a very stressful experience. I was like, ‘I guess I’m not going to watch it anymore.'”

Zendaya is upset about the results of season 16, something she shares with Chmerkovskiy, 38, who has since won the mirror trophy three times with past partners. Rumer Willis, Laurie Hernandez and Xochitl Gomez.

“My greatest sorrow has come Dancing with the starshonestly, i didn’t win with zendaya. It was a huge heartbreak for me because she was 16,” he said Fun tonight in March 2018. “I wanted it to be such a huge moment for her. She worked so hard and I really wanted her to lift the trophy and start her career. And she didn’t lift the trophy and it broke my heart.’

Fortunately, as Chmerkovskiy said, Zendaya’s time DWTS “She launched her career. He added: “That’s when you learn that it’s not necessarily always about winning or losing, it’s really about learning the process and then using those tools to move forward along the way.”

Related: Zendaya doesn’t know how much choice she had about the child star

Zendaya rose to fame as a teenager, but now she has mixed feelings about working as a child actor. “I don’t know how much choice I had,” the actress, 27, told Serena Williams during an interview for Vogue’s May cover story, published Tuesday, April 9. “I have complicated feelings about children and fame (… )

Before DWTSZendaya was best known for her roles on the Disney Channel Shake It Up. In the decade since, she has become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with projects such as The greatest showman, challengers, Dune series a Spider-Man franchise.

In 2020, Chmerkovskiy took over Instagram congratulate Zendaya on becoming the youngest actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Euphoria (an award she also took home in 2022).

“I always knew you were special. Our season is on DWTSand now your continued success since then has brought (a) ridiculous amount of joy to me,” he captioned a clip of one of their performances. “I’m so proud of you, Z! Youngest ever lead actor Emmy winner. You are a superstar and always have been! I love you familia to many more wins in my life.”