By India McCarty
Comedian Andy Richter shared the unexpected benefit of his time on DANCING WITH THE STARS.
“An aspect of this show that struck me early on which is I had been in plenty of creative partnerships, but we did not hold on to each other for four hours a day,” he joked on a recent episode of his podcast, “The Three Questions with Andy Richter.”
Richter continued, “Touch is a basic human nourishment. And I think it’s a key to why [celebrities] are so touched by [the experience]. You’re getting stuff you got when you were a baby.”
Richter quickly became a fan-favorite during his time on DWTS but was ultimately eliminated in Week 9. However, the comedian still feels “like a winner.”
Related: Fans Still Love DANCING WITH THE STARS, Even After 34 Seasons
“It’s changed my life. I’m a different person because of this show and because of this woman right here,” he said, via E! News, referring to his dance pro partner Emma Slater. “None of this would have happened without her. She knew how to use me.”
During an appearance on pal Conan O’Brien’s podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” Richter admitted he was initially hesitant to sign on for DWTS, as he was concerned about the physical rigor the dance competition requires.
“I didn’t want to do it,” he explained. “But then I thought, ‘No, I need to do this. I need to do this just to get moving.’ And it got me to go to the gym and do cardio, which I loathe. I started to do a lot more stretching to prepare myself.”
Richter added, “I luckily was paired with a sweet angel of a ballroom dancer [Emma]. She’s fantastic. And there were so many people around there — from promo people to security guards to different people like stage hands — [who] are like, ‘You got the best one.’ Because she is just so much fun.”
Slater has also gushed about Richter, captioning an Instagram video full of clips of their rehearsals, “All I can really say right now is I love you Andy and thank you for changing my life. I’m so glad now we are family. 💛 @richtercommaandy I cried about a million times putting this together. Look at these memories. You are SO SPECIAL.”
Richter might not have made it to the end of DANCING WITH THE STARS, but for the comedian, the experience — and newfound friendships— were so much more important than taking home a trophy.
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