Where to start? This season was probably the most exhilarating roller coaster ride ever on the show. I have never felt more emotions in one season than this season with Kelly.
To start this season, I drove to Kelly’s parents’ house in the Hidden Hills, CA. When I rang the door Ozzy opened the door and screamed for Sharon to come to the door as I don’t think Ozzy was informed why I was there and that his daughter was about to join the cast of DWTS. Sharon brought me to their back yard where I met Kelly. After chatting for a bit on camera we had our first rehearsal.
Seeing Kelly struggle walking on high heels made me anxious. The first few rehearsals also weren’t going well. Whatever I tried didn’t work. True or not, in my mind, I thought the producer partnered me with Kelly to set us up to be the first couple to be eliminated. This thought fired me up and I was going to do whatever it took to not disappoint Kelly.
I remember our 2nd-week rehearsal as if it was yesterday. My intuition was telling me I was going about it all the wrong way. Stop teaching steps and counts, let her experience rhythm and movement. After all, Kelly comes from a musical family. Hello…the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne!
It worked. Kelly started moving along and I could tell her confidence was growing. I saw a smile coming through. Not only could Kelly move well, but she was flexible too. I became excited instantly to see the growth within Kelly mentally and emotionally I knew deep inside that Kelly was not going home in week 1. During week 2 of rehearsals, Sharon came by, and she was so happy to her daughter in a good and doing something very positive. Side note, I didn’t want to show her our whole dance, because I wanted her and Ozzy to be surprised on show night.
Before committing to DWTS Kelly was already committed to the book signing of her book in London. We were in London for a few days, days before the first live show. Not going to lie at first, I was a little worried that this trip to England was going to be a major distraction. It was a great distraction away from the pressure building in Hollywood, the live show, and seeing all the other celebrities. Kelly was focused during rehearsals, we went to a GQ event, and she took me to their house outside of London. What a beautiful home with gorgeous views.
On show day we found out that we would perform last of 16 couples. It was going the longest two hours to help Kelly control her emotions. She looked gorgeous in her dark blue gown and silk pink shawl across her neck and her platinum blonde hair. I was crossing my fingers that Kelly’s nerves wouldn’t get the better of her. We started our performance and the moment our hands connected I knew Kelly was in a good place. She was doing better than any of our rehearsals in front of millions and as the dance progressed Kelly’s confidence grew. In less than 90 seconds Kelly showed everyone that she was here to stay. After the beat, the crowd gave a standing O, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the ballroom, including Ozzy and Sharon. They were so proud of their little girl.
Week 2 Tango was a disaster. Kelly made one mistake and she thought it was the end of the world. She thought it was so bad that she wanted to walk off the floor while performing. Thank goodness we were in closed hold, so I could stop her from walking off. We had a whole conversation while dancing. Luckily, the judges were forgiving, and we got enough votes to move on.
From week 3 onward Kelly grew her confidence, her ability, and found her inner voice. She was so involved in the creation of our costumes and music choices. It was wonderful to see her starting to shine and believe in herself. Every time we got saved to dance another week, we were just so grateful for the opportunity. Making it to the finale from 16 couples was so unexpected and appreciated. Within only three months, Kelly changed her life using ballroom dancing, and the beauty of it all was the fact that this most amazing journey evolved on national TV while millions witnessed it happen. The fact that Kelly lost 35 lbs during that season was totally a nice bonus. It shows that dance is a true workout in disguise.