Maksim Chmerkovskiy Says ‘DWTS’ Days Are Over: ‘I Will Never Return’

For all those hoping Maksim Chmerkovskiy will return to Dancing with the Stars, don’t hold your breath.

The pro dancer recently revealed in a Glamour magazine interview that he would “definitely not” be returning to the show.

“You have to walk away when the time is right, and the time was right, ” he says, adding, “I think the change of guard is necessary.”

But he still remains in touch with several dancers from the show, including his brother Val Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani, former partner Meryl Davis and Amy Purdy, who are part of his new live dance spectacle Sway.

He’s also still close with Peta Murgatroyd, with whom he was spotted holding hands while leaving West Hollywood eatery Craigs on May 11.

“We’re cool, ” Chmerkovskiy, 35, told Glamour about his relationship with Murgatroyd, 28. “We’re just older. I guess things happen differently when you’re older and time’s passed and things have happened.”

The dance pros first revealed they were a couple in 2012, and, although Chmerkovskiy has been linked to other women, a source told PEOPLE in January they’ve “never really broken up.”

Next up for Chmerkovskiy? Acting! “I’ll be spending a lot of time out in L.A.,” he said. “After taking lots of classes and lessons, I feel like it makes sense to do something creative.”