Cheryl Laddadmits she might’ve underestimatedDancing with the Stars.
“It’s all so technical,“the season 31 competitor, 71, tells PEOPLE. “It’s harder than I thought it was going to be.”
TheCharlie’s Angelsalum calls “trying to learn dance and do it properly in five days,” the most difficult part of the show. Three weeks of competing onDancing with the Starshas left Ladd — and her ego — slightly bruised.
“I feel a little banged up, to be honest, but not too bad,” she says. “I’m icing one knee that is not terrible. I don’t want it to get worse, so I just ice it every day. Other than that, I’m doing pretty well physically.”
Andrew Eccles/abc
“It was not a good feeling, but I messed up this whole section,” Ladd says. “I was so mad at myself, so disappointed. It’s really hard to pick yourself up and say, ‘That’s over, don’t think about it anymore.’ You’ve got to take the consequences. But I sure don’t want to be in the bottom two again.”
The actress and Van Amstel, who returned toDWTSseason 31 after seven years, practiced intensely to perform what Ladd describes as a “smooth and sassy” Rumba on Monday’s Bond Night.
Ladd has an extra special reason why she wants to succeed Monday.
“I had gotten to meetSean Conneryand chat with him — we actually played golf in the same golf tournament in Scotland,” she says. “We had a mutual friend, so we sat at the same dinner table. It was really interesting because Sean Connery, to me, is the ultimate James Bond.”
Ladd hopes to make it past Bond Night so she can dance to “When You Wish Upon a Star” on Disney Night. She also teases “aCharlie’s Angelskind of thing” happening down the line and looks forward to the show’s Prom Night.
“I never got to go to prom, because I was singing my senior year of high school,” Ladd says.
Cast ofCharlie’s Angels.
To be able to go now with her longtime friend and partner Van Amstel, 50, means a lot to Ladd.
“I love Louis. He’s just such a wonderful person,” Ladd gushes. “He has been so helpful to me to tell me what to expect, how it works, what it’s going to take and what we need to do. We laugh a lot, and we, on occasion, cry. But not long. There are no tears in dancing!”
Ladd practices her routines at home, too, but likes to unwind with “a wonderful dinner and a glass of Prosecco,” she says.
Hopefully, Ladd and Van Amstel will have a reason to be popping bottles after Monday’s performance.
“I’m just very grateful we have a chance to dance again,” she says. “It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m loving it.”
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Dancing with the Starsairs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+.
source: people.com
