'My feet are so beat up, after just a couple days of rehearsals,' the Pussycat Dolls star tells MTV News.
By Larry Carroll
Nicole Scherzinger
Photo: MTV News
Earlier this week, Nicole Scherzinger was unveiled as one of the contestants on the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars." Now she's hard at work getting herself into fighting shape — and she has the scabs to show for it.
"Dude, seriously? It's day two, and look at my heel," the Pussycat Dolls star grinned when she stopped by the MTV News studios Wednesday (March 3), pulling off a shoe to reveal a deep, red cut. "It's ugly. Look at that. My feet are so beat up, after just a couple days of rehearsals, and I'm not used to these shoes. Sure, I'm used to wearing 7-inch heels with the Pussycat Dolls, but this is a different style of dancing and a ballroom shoe.
"There's a lot of pain involved," Scherzinger admitted, moments before she'd leave our studio to head back for another rehearsal. "But it's nothing that I'm not used to."
These days, Scherzinger is getting used to a lot of new things, as she and her professional dancing partner begin prepping for season 10 of the hit show. "I have been paired with Mr. Derek Hough, and as soon as I can get some personality in that guy and some charisma, then I think we can go far," she teased. "Derek and I are pretty crazy. We're probably the goofiest cats ever. We were electric from the start.
"The first dance that we've been assigned is the Viennese waltz," Scherzinger revealed. "I just learned how to say that properly — I've been calling it the Vietnamese waltz.
"We've got some really interesting things planned. We want to do things differently, our own way," she said of the style she and Derek are planning to bring to the dance floor. "We've got some surprises that we're planning. There's so much to learn from him, because he's the best. He's an amazing choreographer. He's so innovative."
But after such a long stint with the Dolls, Scherzinger added that there's another "DWTS" element she's eager to embrace: the clothes. "They have very exciting costumes," she beamed. "You know what is so phenomenal about the show? Every week, you see all these beautiful, elaborate costumes and dresses. They make them personally for you and design a new one each week with you for each dance.
"I could come in and be like, 'I want to be Peter Pan this week,' and they'll make me look like the most beautiful Peter Pan," she marveled. "But I don't want to look like Peter Pan. It's amazing. I feel like the costume designers and wardrobe designers have perfected the art form of ballroom-dancing clothes, and I can't wait until they dress me."
Before she left to head back to the dance studio, we had to ask Nicole if she had any fighting words for a list of opponents that includes Pamela Anderson, Kate Gosselin, Shannen Doherty and others. With a smile, she said she wanted to single out one star in particular.
"Hey, Buzz!" she giggled, looking into the camera and calling out 80-year-old astronaut-turned-dancer Buzz Aldrin. "It's on, Buzz!"
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