Val Chmerkovskiy Admits Having a Formerly Paralyzed DWTS Partner Is a 'Major Challenge' but He's 'Grateful for It'

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Val Chmerkovskiy Admits Having a Formerly Paralyzed DWTS Partner Is a 'Major Challenge' but He's 'Grateful for It'Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays (at 8 p.m. ET) on ABC

When Valentin Chmerkovskiy found out his Dancing with the Stars season 25 partner was Victoria Arlen, an ESPN personality who was paralyzed for almost four years, he had a lot of questions about how her recovery would factor into their rehearsals.

 “She can’t feel her legs and feet,” Chmerkovskiy, 31, told PEOPLE after Monday’s premiere episode.

 “Minor details,” joked Arlen, 22.

 But Arlen — who was 11 when she was diagnosed with a neurological condition and an autoimmune disease, which affected her spinal cord and left her in a vegetative state for four years — has only been walking again for less than two years and has no feeling in her legs or feet. And Chmerkovskiy admits
that “poses a major challenge in teaching the steps.”

 “She doesn’t know if it’s right or left,” he said. “It takes patience from the both of us, because I have to adjust my teaching and how I explain things, and in turn I have to be patient that this is all very new to her, even the walking thing. People look at it as a challenge, but I look at it as an incredible opportunity to grow and inspire people and I’m grateful for it.”

 But on Monday’s show the pair left the audience in awe as they cha-cha-cha’d their way to a 19/30 score from the judges.

 “We’ve been working so hard on this, and it was such a challenging dance,” Arlen said. “But I did it. I survived and made it. I climbed to the top of the mountain, and my feet did what I needed them to do. It was incredible.”

Last edited by CEK40 (9/20/2017 8:22 am)

iamvalc: and then this broke my heart. 😢 Toy R Us was the place you dreamed off. The son of an immigrant family when you went to this magical place, which was rare to never, you’d be embarking on a journey into paradise. Absolute exhilaration walking through the halls of pure imagination brought to physical existence. If you earned a trip to one of these palaces of happiness, curiosity, and imagination you’d be….. well that’s that…. I guess “we had to grow we not toys r us kids” no more.

Interview | Victoria Arlen Speaks after Emotional ‘DWTS’ Premiere Night - 09.18.17

Last edited by CEK40 (9/20/2017 8:26 am)

Found this interesting...
anonymous  asked:I find it funny how people who have gotten so salty over Val's partners having some sort of dance experience are the same people supporting Lindsay and Jordan.. Nothing against Jordan cause he is amazing, but it just goes to prove that they don't necessarily hate the fact that Val's partners have dance experience, but just Val himself. Anon:  Well we know how the story goes whenever it comes to Valentin Chmerkovskiy

dance10jenna: Only one more hour to VOTE for these handsome guys!! How amazing were both of them??!! So grateful my momma and my sissys could come out and see the show live! Text Kiki to 21523 or Super Vote on the Fox Now App!! #sytycd #daddykiki We are also definitely #teamviva for Season 25 of #dwts 😊 Who else loved their premiere performance last night?!