‘Dancing with the Stars’ Contestant Cody Rigsby Says He Has COVID-19

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – “Dancing With the Stars” contestant and popular fitness instructor Cody Rigsby has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be retiring from the show, he announced Thursday.

Rigsby’s announcement came just days after her “DWTS” partner Cheryl Burke announced she had COVID.

Rigsby said he had been vaccinated and was showing only mild symptoms. He said it was his second COVID infection this year, the first having occurred before he was vaccinated and resulting in much more severe symptoms.
RELATED: ‘DWTS’ Pro Cheryl Burke Says She Has COVID-19

In a video posted to Instagram, Rigsby said his symptoms include congestion, a headache and a cough.

“But compared to when I had COVID earlier this year, it’s night and day,” he said. “So it must be the vaccine, my antibodies are working.”

He said he was taking a break from the show. It is not yet clear if or when he and Burke will be able to resume competition.

Rigsby, who previously worked as a professional dancer, later became a Peloton instructor and director of cycling content with the company.

He became one of the company’s most popular instructors as more people turned to home exercise during the pandemic. It also maintains a popular social media presence, with over 933,000 Instagram followers.

Rigsby did not attend Monday’s “DWTS” taping because he had been in close contact with Burke before his positive test was announced hours before the show.

Burke released his own update on his condition Wednesday night. She said she had been in quarantine for 10 days at home and felt “good” except that she had lost her sense of smell and taste.

“It was really weirdly lonely” during the quarantine, Burke added.