Dancing With the Stars boasts all-athletes cast
Tonya Harding says there’s a good chance she’s about to cry on network TV.
She anticipates she’ll break down while competing as one of the new contestants on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“It’s been a very, very long time since I had people respect me in any way, so that’s where the emotion comes in,” she says. “If I get a standing ovation or have a huge crowd that does like me, I’ll cry. Since I’ve become a mommy, I have more emotions.”
Harding, 47, teamed with dance partner Sasha Farber, is one of the 10 pairings on Season 26’s all-athlete edition of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, premièring April 30. Joining her is fellow Olympic skater Adam Rippon, who will be paired with ballroom pro Jenna Johnson.
Also competing are several fellow Olympians: figure skater Mirai Nagasu, 24 (paired with partner Alan Bersten); luger Chris Mazdzer, 29 (with Witney Carson); snowboarder Jamie Anderson, 27 (with Artem Chigvintsev); and softball player Jennie Finch Daigle, 37 (with Keo Motsepe).
The rest of the 10 athletes have other sports backgrounds: retired NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 70 (with Lindsay Arnold); retired baseball player Johnny Damon, 44 (with Emma Slater); Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, 30 (with Sharna Burgess); and Notre Dame women’s basketball star Arike Ogunbowale, 21 (with Gleb Savchenko).
“I’m excited that it’s all athletes and I know that everybody’s gonna be bringing it,” says Rippon, who admits he’s been envisioning himself on the show while watching it the past five years. “When the stakes are high, I always like that.”
Figure skaters do well on DWTS: Kristi Yamaguchi and Meryl Davis took home their own mirror ball trophies in 2008 and 2014, respectively. But transitioning from the ice to the hard ballroom floor takes work.
“Everyone knows I wasn’t very dainty (when I skated), but I want to do the beautiful dances. Sasha has his work cut out for him,” Harding says. Earlier in her career, she spent six months pair skating, and learned to land a throw triple Salchow.