Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad made headlines last year when she became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the assistance of a shark cage. But, she says, preparing to dance a minute-long foxtrot on the Season 18 premiere of Dancing with the Stars last Monday was just as daunting as gearing up for her multi-day open water feat.
“When I would stand on that shore over in Cuba and look out at the horizon, I knew that what was in front of me was going to be at least two, probably more like two-and-a-half nonstop days in the open ocean, with all kinds of obstacles,” Nyad, 64, tells TVGuide.com. “And [Monday], as I stood holding [partner Henry Byalikov‘s] hands, I was thinking, ‘You have one minute and six seconds for this foxtrot.’ It’s just an absurdly different kind of challenge.”
Nyad and Byalikov ended up with an 18 from the judges after their routine, which puts them in second-to-last place heading into Week 2. Though Nyad says she felt OK about the dance itself, there was one aspect of the performance that left her “mortified.” Check out our interview with Nyad to find out what frustrated her to the point of tears, as well as what she and Henry are working on for this week’s cha-cha.
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- Charlie White
- Chaz Bono
- NeNe Leakes
- Amy Purdy
- Diana Nyad
- Meryl Davis
- Henry Byalikov
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