As track records go, Cheryl Burke's is great: Of the four times she’s competed on Dancing With the Stars, she has partnered two of her partners—Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith-- to wins. Season 6 matches her up with Chilean-born actor Cristian De La Fuente, who was admittedly somewhat challenged in the hip action department before she got her hands on him. “Cheryl is an expert in fixing hips. She’s a great partner,” he said at the L.A. rehearsal studio where the pair worked on their cha-cha before the show’s season premiere.
Chatting for a few pre-practice minutes, the San Francisco native, 23, dished about her latest leading man, the competition and her winning strategy.
Hollywood.com:How does Cristian compare to your previous partners?
Cheryl Burke: I love him. He’s great. He works hard, he’s funny and he’s great at picking up choreography. He’s got a lot of charisma so I know when he’s on the floor he just has to smile. He has a lot of what Emmitt Smith had. Drew was very technical. He picked up steps fast. Cristian does that and has charisma like Emmitt. He’s got the best of both. And he’s not a bad dancer. But it’s different when it comes to ballroom dancing. There are so many rules. Before he learned the technique it was a little awkward. I had to teach him to move his hips. But he gets it now. He has so much natural movement and I want to bring that out more.
HW: At 6’2” he towers over you.
CB: I put him in low heels so he’s not that much bigger!
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