MELISSA RYCROFT’s recent win on “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” has put her three-year marriage to Texan Tye Strickland in serious jeopardy, sources say.
The victory has inspired the brunette beauty, 29, to live in Los Angeles full time and chase a showbiz career while her 31-year-old hubby longs to move back to Dallas, the sources add.
“Melissa knows that she has to strike while the iron is hot and capitalize quickly on her ‘mirror ball’ win,” said an insider close to her. This is everything she’s ever worked for!
“Meanwhile, Tye loved living in L.A. at first, but all the glitz and glamour wore off quickly. He’s just a country boy at heart and wants to stay in Texas.
“It’s caused a lot of stress and strain on the marriage.”
Melissa, who partnered with pro Tony Dovolani to win the hit ABC dance competition, has long been a reality TV favorite.
AFTER APPEARING ON “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” in 2006, the bubbly stunner got the final rose from “Bachelor” Jason Mesnick before he dumped her on national TV in March 2009.
Melissa, a former sales rep, bounced back by taking third place on Season 8 of “Dancing with the Stars” and parlayed that into a gig as correspondent for ABC’s “Good Morning America” in 2009.
Her love life also blossomed. She’d been dating Tye off and on since they met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in 2006, and the couple married in December 2009.
They relocated to southern California to film the CMT reality series “Melissa & Tye.” During its airing earlier this year, the two were frequently seen debating whether to stay in L.A. or return to Texas.
When their 21-month-old daughter Ava started walking in the show’s finale, they expressed mixed feelings about not being in Dallas, where they could share the excitement with their family.
In the end, they flipped a coin to decide where to live, and L.A. won. But they later changed their minds and headed back home to Texas, where Tye works as an insurance agent.
“Melissa thought she could get entertainment work in Dallas,” said the source.
“But when ‘Dancing’ invited her back for their ‘All-Stars’ edition, she didn’t have to think twice. And now that she’s won, I’m sure she could land a permanent gig as a showbiz correspondent on ‘GMA.’”
Now, Tye feels as if he’s been blind-sided, said the source.
“He thought that they’d made the decision to stay in Dallas, but Melissa has told him she’s got to ‘follow her dream,’” said the source.
“Melissa is hoping against hope she can convince Tye to make the move to Los Angeles permanent. They’re at odds for now, but Melissa is determined to make L.A. her home – with or without Tye.”
