14 Stars Who Left HGTV And Why

After winning Season 5 of "Design Star," Emily Henderson won herself a hosting gig on HGTV. Her series, "Secrets From a Stylist," premiered only a few months later, showcasing her interior design talent as she helped homeowners decorate the space of their dreams. "Winning Design Star changed my life. It blew up my career," the HGTV star wrote on her blog 10 years later. "I'm ENDLESSLY grateful for HGTV and they have always been so good for me."

However, when Henderson was asked to return to the network as a judge for "Design Star" in 2021, she was hesitant to pursue the opportunity. In the end, she decided to pass on it altogether. "I was SO excited about the show, but I had too much happening at the time that I couldn't cancel," she admitted. In addition to her successful design business, she had also become a mother who didn't want to spend months away from her children.

Yet, even if Henderson hadn't been busy balancing her own business and family life, she knows that she still would have passed on an opportunity to return to the famous HGTV series — because she remembers exactly what it was like competing on the design series all those years ago. "I knew that my empathy towards them would trump my ability to be a great judge," she said, adding, "I want them all to win."