Ali Landry Says She Chose Her Husband Over ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and Doesn’t Regret Saying No

by · Thought Catalog
Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images

TV + Movies

By Chrissy Stockton

Updated 52 minutes ago, September 3, 2026

“Being in such close proximity to the opposite sex and the dancing… it’s very intimate. I did not want to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with my husband.”

Ali Landry, 53, was engaged when ‘Dancing with the Stars’ producers came calling, and she turned them down flat.

Ali Landry and her husband, director Alejandro Monteverde, pose together at the New York premiere of ‘Cabrini’ on February 26, 2024. Photo by Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images.

She was blunt about why the show felt like a threat to her marriage rather than just a fun gig. “People pass these things off as if it’s no big deal, you’re just dancing. But that’s a lie. You spend all your time with the person and you’re that physically close, feelings arise. And I think I was so sensitive because of a breakup that I was hyper-aware of that.”

At Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre on October 29, 2018, Alejandro Monteverde and Ali Landry walked the red carpet alongside their three children for the world premiere of Disney’s ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.’ Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images.

It wasn’t the last reality offer she’d wave off. She’s turned down chances to join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills more than once, even though several of the cast members are close friends she still parties with — even on screen. She says she is fine appearing on the show but wouldn’t want to star.

A close-up of Ali Landry’s hand showcasing a large diamond ring, a rose-gold band, and a stack of layered bracelets at a Baby2Baby benefit event in Culver City, California, on September 22, 2018. Photo by Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images.

Her reasons come down to three words: peace, truth and joy. “When you start looking at the quality of your life… I guess I do a lot of internal work. I meditate, I pray, I journal. I’m pretty clear about what I would like my life to look like,” she said. “And that did not fit into what I wanted.”

Sara Blakely, Garcelle Beauvais, and Ali Landry lean in to examine a photo book together at the Los Angeles launch of The Belly Art Project benefiting Every Mother Counts on October 13, 2016. Photo by Rachel Murray / Getty Images.

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