Suzanne Somers’ ‘DWTS’ Partner Tony Dovolani Reflects on Their Friendship and Last Meeting (Exclusive)

Tony Dovolani has fond memories of his friend and former Dancing With the Stars partner, Suzanne Somers — and her smile. 

On Sunday, Somers’ rep confirmed to ET that the actress died at the age of 76, one day before her birthday, following a decades-long battle with cancer. 

“It really hit me like a ton of bricks,” Dovolani tells ET’s Nischelle Turner about the moment he heard the news while working on a commercial. “I had it in my calendar to wish her a happy birthday because she was turning 77 in a couple days. When I found out, it just cut my legs from under me because she was such a beckon of light.”

He adds, “I remember Suzanne Somers with a smile on her face, and it just saddens me to the core because I knew she really fought this cancer for such a long time. She was dealing with it, even back then, and trying every natural way of dealing with this. The fact that she was able to survive it for as long as she did is really a true testament to her dedication to being healthy.”

Dovolani and Somers were paired together in 2015 during the milestone 20th season of DWTS. They were eliminated after the fifth week. 

The professional dancer recalls the moment he met Somers, whom he credits along with Three’s Company, for helping him learn English after moving to the states from Albania. 

“To see her walk through the doors I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s Suzanne Somers. No way!’ I couldn’t wait to tell my wife. I couldn’t wait to share that with everybody, that I was actually dancing with somebody who I admired for many years and did really have an affect on my life.”

In spite of the sometimes grueling practices and the toll that ballroom dancing could have on her body, Dovolani shares that Somers never complained. Instead she smiled and danced though whatever she was going through.

“As a partner, it’s interesting because Dancing With the Stars is such a machine and you could be successful in everything else, but you show up in the ballroom, all kinds of things happen,” he says. “But she always walked in with a pep in her step. She really wanted to learn. She was always respectful, she wanted to be pushed hard. She had her frustrating moments but never without a smile. That was the odd thing for me, it was always like, ‘I know you’re upset, it’s OK,  you don’t have to smile.’ She goes, ‘But yeah, I’m having so much fun.'”

He added, “Positivity was a big part of her life. Being optimistic. She never acted like the victim. She never brought it up as an excuse when we were working. I mean, she was so full of life and full of positivity that you would never know that she had breast cancer. And the interesting thing about that is that she truly believed with her entire heart that being positive and being optimistic and looking forward to the future was the way to beat cancer. She battled that terrible disease for so many years. But honestly, she lived every moment to its fullest.”

Dovolani took to Instagram to share one of their highlights outside of the ballroom, when Somers’ husband, Alan Hamel, greeted them with pies in the face after rehearsal. 

When it comes to the best moment on the dance floor, Dovolani recalls recreating Three’s Company and dancing to the iconic theme song. 

“It was so awesome,” Dovolani says. “It was so crazy because watching the show — learning how to speak English — then getting to dance with Chrissy and being on almost like the recreation of the set. For me, it was like wow!  It was a great moment for me to kind of live a nostalgic big moment of TV and TV icons. Because she was a staple of TV. I mean, everyone knows who Suzanne Somers is. The fact that I was able to really get to live that moment with her was pretty impressive.”

Another bright spot Dovolani remembers is Somers’ love for her husband, which he witnessed firsthand during dinners at their home.

“They were a ball of joy and always having fun, always trying to make each other laugh,” he tells ET about the longtime lovebirds. “I know the love that these two had for each other and my heart breaks for them. I send them a lot of love and prayers.”

Dovolani recounts the last time he saw Somers at an event where she was happy to be singing and performing and sharing an important life lesson with him.

“My memory of her is she just kept saying to me, ‘Read the books, stay positive, be happy. Everything in life is not worth being angry or upset about.’ I was like, ‘Wow, what a great message!'” he remembers. “Sometimes we focus on the small things, but really the big thing is the fact that you’re surrounded by loving people, family and and loved ones and in her case, she was surrounded by Alan her entire life and their true love.”

The dancing professional would like the world to remember Somers the way she was the entire time he worked with her — with a smile.

“I want to remember her and the first thought in my head is her smile,” he says. “It’s literally her smile and the way she affected everybody around her. Everybody around her loved her and for good reason, because she was somebody that is very easily loved.”

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