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'Dancing With the Stars' Tony Dovolani sticks up for Kate Gosselin
On Monday (March 22) night, "Dancing With the Stars" viewers got their first look at Kate Gosselin -- spiky 'do replaced with curled extensions -- on the dance floor with pro partner Tony Dovolani.While her waltz wasn't the standout of the evening, it wasn't the lowest-scoring debut either and did show promise (and she and fellow celeb and mom Pam Anderson seemed very chatty in the background of several shots).
The former "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star has undergone intense tabloid scrutiny since the public breakup of her marriage and the end of the hit TLC show she had with her now ex-husband and their brood of older twin daughters and younger sextuplets (three of each).
Speaking to Zap2it, Dovolani says, "Kate does everything I teach her. Kate came with no dance background whatsoever. When I say 'whatsoever,' she had never, ever danced in public, because she just couldn't. I think she was too insecure to even try.
"Everything she's learning, she's hearing for the first time, like learning the alphabet for the first time. She had no point of reference."
Asked what he thought when he learned he was Gosselin's partner, Dovolani says, "The first thought that crossed my mind is, 'My wife's going to be happy.' My wife is a fan of hers and thinks she's a great mom. We have a common bond. I have twins, and so does Kate."
Dovolani says he admires Gosselin as a mother and especially as a now-single one.
"You understand what Kate goes through, and she's got eight little faces looking at her. People so easily judge her. It's so funny -- she's the ideal role model, because she's a single working parent that has to provide for eight kids at home.
"She's working out of home now. I'm in Pennsylvania working with her, just so she can be close to her kids. She's amazing with them.
"But she gets a lot of flack. The tabloids have been very mean towards her."
US recently quoted "Dancing With the Stars" pro dancer Mark Ballas (partnered this season with Shannen Doherty, who's had her share of tabloid heat over the years) as calling Gosselin "standoffish.""I used to baby-sit Mark," Dovolani says. "Yes, I did. So, the point is, Mark and I have known each other for a long time. His mom is one of the reasons why I won my world title.
"They try to paint Mark against us, and it's not going to work, because I know Mark way too well. Besides, if people believe all the tabloids, then they should believe that Elvis is alive, and that people constantly get kidnapped by aliens."
Asked if he had a plan to deal with the inevitable press attention directed at Gosselin, Dovolani says, "None whatsoever, because I really, truly believe the truth prevails. In this particular case, I was so happy to see that she was exactly what my wife and I thought.
"She was a mom that cares a lot about her kids and always puts her kids first. And that's exactly what I got. That's something that made me smile inside, knowing that she puts her family first every single time.
"She has to provide for them, and that's why she's doing our show. 'Dancing With the Stars' asked her to be on the show. She didn't ask to be on the show; they asked her. That's something people need to realize. On 'Dancing With the Stars,' people don't invite themselves. They get invited."
He also emphasizes that Gosselin is putting in the work.
"I'm telling you," he adds, "she goes six hours strong. We'll do five- or six-hour rehearsals, and she's just as energetic at the end as she is in the beginning. She amazes me. She really does."
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Photo Credits: ABC
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What a joke! She specifically said on Jay Leno in December that she WANTED to be on DWTS. She's the one that floated the idea to begin with. Nice try, but the public isn't that stupid. He HAS to be kind because he has a vested interest in staying on as many episodes as possible since BOTH their salaries are dependent on how long they last.
I think she did well for the first time dancing. I think the judges were degrading to her! Give her a chance and she will perform
I think she did well for not being and actually preformer of any kind. I think she deserves some time for herself. At least shes doing something decent and healthy. Instead out and about in God awful Ed Hardy shirts partying it up. Keep up the good work Kate and enjoy!!!!!
I've heard alot of people say they want to be on the show. It doesn't mean that was the only reason they got on.
Tony's right ... you have to be invited. You can't just say I want to be on it and presto ... you're on it.
And just because Kate is shy doesn't mean that she doesn't dream of doing things like this. In fact, more often than not, famous (or infamous) people are actually very shy people themselves and they put themselves out in the public eye because it quite often helps them to deal with their shyness.
She was so graceful and gave so very much tio her dancing The judges were rude and truly insensitive and not a real professional in any way!!!!Go girl!!!!I voted for you and you deserve much respect!!!Look at the fools who judged the dancing fools!!!!
She was awful.
I don't know why but I was hoping she could pull it off (or at least fake it) with help.
It was sad to see just how poorly she danced.
This isn't too tough to understand. She said in DECEMBER she wanted to be on DWTS. She has an agent. Agent's job is to get her booked doing what she wants. That's how it works. True, she can't break down the door and be on it against DWTS will, so of course they have to be ok with it, but she stated months ago that she wanted to do it. No one is holding a gun to her head to do this. Tony is only sticking up for her because his paycheck is tied to hers. She fails, he fails. Of course he has to defend her and make it like she's getting beat up about this. But the truth is that Kate Gosselin wants fame and money. She doesn't necessarily want to do what's required to earn them though, and last night and the interview portion before the dance was proof. She's a fame *****, not a celebrity.
The quicker she's eliminated from this show, the better and her dance partner is a total moron for even defending her!
She's ticked, and so are the fans, that she can't control the situation anymore. It's out of her hands. She can't intimidate anyone, yell at anyone or manipulate people to get what she wants. That's how she operates, and for once the public has a say in how this goes down. The judges were harsh with almost everyone, but Miss Katie is so used to people (and the fans are used to it too) kissing her butt that they can't handle it. She legitimately deserved that score. For once, she's accountable to rules everyone else has to live by. Sucks, but that's life!
The judges were not exceptionally rude...they were fair....Kate wasnt the only one who received harsh remarks, you people are upset because for once she didn't get special/preferential treatment. She was stiff and boring, period. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. FYI, she did make it very clear that she wanted to do the show....DWTS put her on for ratings, certainly not for her "star" status.