Maksim Chmerkovskiy To Leave Dancing With The Stars

After 15 seasons, Maksim Chmerkovskiy will be saying goodbye to "Dancing With The Stars."

 The quick-tempered competitor says the forthcoming season of DWTS - which will premiere Sept. 24, will be his last as he won't be renewing his contract with the show when it expires at the end of the year.

"What else do I have to do there after 15 seasons?" he told The Post. "It makes total sense. The audience can't expect for me to want to stick around, and the producers can't expect for me to want to stick around."

The Ukrainian hunk admitted he has a movie in the works, which will begin filming in January and might dabble in reality TV - with his brother, Val.

Chmerkovskiy has no problem airing his cast mates' dirty laundry, he revealed that a few of the pro dancers are essentially jealous of the spotlight shone on their celebrity partners.

"Essentially, 80% of our job is to give somebody another push in their career," he said. "Or we make them into likable characters. But at the end of the day, they go off and they better themselves. I loved doing it. But to be honest with you, at 32, I am at what-about-me time.'"

Chmerkovskiy isn't bitter about closing this chapter in his life and wishes DWTS many years of success.

"I am not thinking that with me leaving, the show will go off the air or anything," he said. "Like my dad said, 'There are no irreplacable people.' I wish them the next 50 years of success. But I have to do something else. I need to move on for me."

Acting was never a part of Chmerkovskiy's plans but he fell in love with the art after being a part a Ukranian game show, "The Cube" and the country's version of "The Bachelor."

"I never thought I was ready," he explained about his acting career. "Then I had a whole day of reading with the director and casting director, and I enjoyed it so much! I caught the bug, as they say. This is something I really want to do."