Reality television star Ciara Miller has joined the celebrity cast for season 35 of Dancing With the Stars following the official roster reveal on Good Morning America on September 2.
The 30-year-old nurse and model, best known for her role on Bravo's hit series Summer House, opened up shortly after the announcement about her past relationships and how dating mistakes helped shape her personal growth.
Speaking in an interview after the broadcast, Miller explained that navigating romantic missteps had ultimately prepared her for major career milestones, including stepping into the ballroom competition.
Dancing With the Stars is a long-running American dance competition television series broadcast on ABC, pairing celebrities with professional ballroom dancers to compete for the trophy. Miller has appeared on Summer House, a reality show tracking friends sharing a vacation home in New York, since she was 24 years old.
Dating Lessons and Reality Television Growth
Reflecting on her dating life, Miller emphasized that making choices with the wrong partners was a natural step toward finding long-term happiness.
"You date the wrong people, and you give them second chances for stupid reasons," Miller said. "You have to go through that in order to get to where you're going."
She added that trial and error in relationships provided essential clarity over time.
"You're supposed to get it wrong in order to figure out who's right," Miller remarked. "It's not easy dating. But I think that that's part of the beauty in it too."
Her comments follow a turbulent period on Summer House. The show's season 10 finale in May saw her friend group implode after her ex West Wilson entered a secret relationship with her best friend Amanda Batula while Miller was rekindling her romance with her former flame.
"You realize that it's life," Miller said. "If we were all dating experts, then we would get it right the first try, and then it would be so f--king boring."
Miller, who also co-hosts the companion series Love Island: Aftersun, admitted to feeling public judgment over romantic decisions broadcast on screen. She noted that reviewing relationships on television alongside co-host Tefi Pessoa proved therapeutic.
"It kind of made me feel less alone and less stupid, to be honest," Miller explained. "Because people put so much pressure on girls to be like, 'Oh well, you're dumb, you didn't see this, that.' But also, everyone's looking at it from a bird's-eye view, but when you're in it, it's so different."
She also commended the show's participants for displaying the courage and confidence to expose themselves in such a vulnerable space on national television.
Stamina Preparation and Ballroom Partnerships
For her upcoming stint on Dancing With the Stars, Miller is paired with professional dancer Brandon Armstrong.
Miller revealed that Armstrong did extensive research on her background as soon as their partnership was established.
"I'm saying something to him, and he's like, 'I'm gonna be honest, I did a deep dive on you,'" Miller laughed, recounting how her partner admitted to falling into a TikTok hole.
The reality star previously discussed the physical demands of preparing for the dance floor, acknowledging that she needed to build her endurance ahead of rehearsals.
"Looks are not indicative of being in shape," Miller said in June. "I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina."
Full Celebrity Lineup for Season 35
Miller forms part of a star-studded cast featuring figures from film, television, music, athletics, and social media.
Film actress Julia Stiles, famous for starring in the 1999 romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, will take to the dance floor with professional partner Ezra Sosa.
Celebrity chef and author Giada De Laurentiis is trading the kitchen for the ballroom as she competes alongside pro Alan Bersten.
Actor Harry Shum Jr., known for his performance on the musical comedy-drama series Glee, will compete with professional partner Jenna Johnson.
Musician Taylor Hanson, former 1990s teen heartthrob from the pop band Hanson, joins the competition paired with pro Britt Stewart.
Actress Tatyana Ali, who rose to fame on the hit 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will dance alongside professional partner Jan Ravnik.
Dancer and actress Jenna Dewan, who starred in the 2006 dance feature Step Up two decades ago, returns to competitive dancing with pro Val Chmerkovskiy.
Winter sports athlete Amber Glenn, who competed for Team USA in figure skating at the 2026 Olympic Games, transitions from the ice to the dance floor alongside pro Pasha Pashkov.
Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech, who represented Team USA in track and field, brings his athletic skills to the ballroom paired with pro Daniella Karagach.
Social Media Personalities and TV Stars
The lineup also includes reality stars and internet personalities competing for the Mirror Ball trophy.
Sarah Jane Nader, star of Love Thy Nader, is paired with pro Hailey Bills. Her participation follows her sister Brooks Nader competing on season 33.
Comedian Connor Wood, widely recognized under his social media handle Fibula, will perform with professional partner Rylee Arnold.
Conner Leavitt, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, steps onto the dance floor paired with pro Adele Zaikman, following his wife Whitney Leavitt who competed on season 34.
Bachelor Nation star Tyler Cameron, who appeared on ABC's reality dating series The Bachelor, is paired with professional dancer Sharna Burgess.
Jackson Olson, an exhibition baseball player for the Savannah Bananas known for choreographed field routines, will dance alongside pro Emma Slater.
Guillermo Rodriguez, the long-time studio personality on late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is paired with pro Witney Carson.
Manifesting a Ballroom Dream
Reality television personality Maura Higgins, an alumnus of Love Island UK, completes the season 35 contestant roster alongside veteran pro Mark Ballas.
Higgins previously disclosed that competing on the series was a long-held ambition that she actively targeted on her annual goal list.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," Higgins revealed in May. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year."
"Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before," Higgins added. "However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
