Ariana Madix is counting on support from her Vanderpump Rules pals. ET’s Rachel Smith spoke to the 38-year-old reality star ahead of her Dancing With the Stars stint, and she expressed excitement about having her Bravo castmates come cheer her during her run.
“I hope so,” she said of having her famous friends sit in the DWTS audience. “I’m looking forward to seeing my girls come and support.”
In fact, it’s for some of the littlest members of the VPR cast that Madix hopes to make it to Disney Week of the competition.
“I really hope I can make it to Disney Week, because I really want Summer and Ocean to be able to come watch and see all the Disney dancers,” she said of Scheana Shay and Lala Kent‘s daughters, before noting that the former tot may even help choose her song for that week.
“I would love to see what Summer thinks. I know she’s a big Moana fan, a big Frozen fan,” Madix said. “I just want to make her proud. She’s my little bestie, because she’s my bestie’s baby. She is so cute.”
Tom Sandoval, Madix’s VPR co-star and ex, with whom she split after his headline-making affair with Rachel Leviss, previously told ET that he, for one, will be tuning into DWTS.
“I’ll be doing both, voting and watching. I’m really excited for her,” he told ET. “I know she has been wanting to do this show for years. I think she’s going to do great. She’s a really hard worker. I think she’ll go far, hopefully.”
While Madix didn’t comment on Sandoval’s support, she did confirm that she’s long dreamed of competing on DWTS.
“I just kind of wanted to see if I could do it. Really watching the show for years, I’m such a fan of the performances. You watch and you’re like, ‘Oh, I want to do that,'” she said. “I’m a hard worker, so I love being able to put that hard work into dance, into my book, the sandwich shop, all of those things and it gives me a sense of accomplishment and self-worth that is kind of unparalleled. I’m really excited to be in this space in my life.”
As for the emotions that the competition may bring up, Madix, who’s partnered with Pasha Pashkov, said she’s “going to try my best to embrace all of that.”
“There was already something you said in rehearsal the other day that almost made me cry in a nice way,” Madix said to Pashkov. “You said something about, ‘You don’t have to try to do it all yourself. I’ll do it. You’re not going to fall. You’re not going to hurt yourself.’ I was like, ‘You’re right… That’s so true, because that’s how I am in my life as well.’ I have the best partner.”
Season 32 of Dancing With the Stars premieres Sept. 26 on ABC and Disney+.
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