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Longtime “Dancing With the Stars” pro Emma Slater admits she cried when she met her season 33 partner. Reginald VelJohnson.
“I couldn’t help but cry a little bit when I saw him because I’m such a fan and I have watched ‘Die Hard’ every year … honestly, [for] decades now,” Slater told Us Weekly.
The two already seem to be hitting it off ahead of the season 33 premiere.
“I just looked at her face, [and] fell in love,” VelJohnson told Us Weekly about the first time he saw Slater. “She’s wonderful,” he added.
VelJohnson rose to fame on the popular 90s show, “Family Matters.”
Reginald VelJohnson Feels It’s a ‘Blessing’ He Was Partnered With Emma Slater
Slater and VelJohnson’s partnership was confirmed during the cast reveal on “Good Morning America” on September 4. After the announcement, the two did some press — and couldn’t speak more highly of one another.
“First of all, it’s a blessing that I got her,” VelJohnson told The Hollywood Reporter, gesturing toward Slater. “You know, because I was wondering, ‘who’s gonna be my partner, who’s gonna be my partner?’ ‘Cuz I can’t dance. And she made me dance. She told me I could do it and I did it,” he continued.
VelJohnson and Slater held hands during the interview, proving they’ve already bonded.
“He is so caring,” Slater responded when asked about VelJohnson as a partner. “He’s just lovely. He makes me feel very much taken care of,” she added. “I love his authenticity and I think that charisma and heart is going to come out in the dancing. I mean, how could it not? He just kind of shines,” she continued.
Slater also took to Instagram to share her excitement over her new partner.
“Say hello to my wonderful dance partner for season 33…. Reginald VelJohnson!!! What a legend!! I’m so excited to dance with this gem of a human,” she captioned a post on September 4.
Reginald VelJohnson Was Hesitant to Sign on to Do ‘Dancing With the Stars’
In an interview with ET, VelJohnson admitted that he wasn’t completely in when he was asked to do “Dancing With the Stars.” The reason? “To dance… in front of the world!” he said. Despite showing off some of his moves on “Family Matters,” VelJohnson admits that was “years ago.”
He went on to give Slater credit for getting him to dance again. “With her, it makes it easy,” he said. VelJohnson admitted that he was excited to see co-stars Dwight Howard and Phaedra Parks on the season and he isn’t even thinking about winning at this point.
Meanwhile, in his interview with Us Weekly, VelJohnson was asked if he reached out to any former DWTS competitors for advice — his “Family Matters” co-star Jaleel White competed on season 14.
“I haven’t talked to anybody. I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I wanna do my own thing. If I fall, I fall. If I don’t, I don’t. And it’s on me, not anybody else,” he said.
The season 33 premiere of “Dancing With the Stars” will take place on Tuesday, September 17.
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