Derek Hough Not Defending His Mirror Ball Trophy

Derek Hough has won the famed Mirror Ball trophy on Dancing With The Stars on ABC 3 times, most recently with Jennifer Grey.  Instead of returning on Dancing With The Star next month to compete in the show's 12th season, he will be filming a movie in the spring.

Talking with People magazine, Derek says,

"I will be making it back to Dancing with the Stars in the fall. I'm just taking a little break and taking this chance to grow and expand a little bit as an artist."

Derek will be in a movie called Cobu 3D, where he'll play a New Orleans street dancer who goes to New York and falls for an Asian drummer.  There is no word on a target release date so far.

Dancing With The Stars returns to ABC Monday, March 30th.