Suzanne Somers' DWTS Partner Tony Dovolani Remembers Late Star (Exclusive)
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00:00 What was your reaction when you heard about Suzanne's passing?
00:03 It really hit me like a ton of bricks
00:05 because I had it in my calendar to wish her a happy birthday
00:08 because she was turning 77 in a couple of days.
00:11 And it just-- when I found out, it just
00:14 cut my legs from under me because she
00:16 was such a beacon of light.
00:18 And so, you know, I don't--
00:19 the only way I remember Suzanne Summers
00:21 is with a smile on her face.
00:22 Yeah.
00:23 And it just saddened me to the core
00:25 because I knew she really fought this cancer
00:27 for such a long time.
00:29 She was dealing with it even back then
00:31 and trying every natural way of dealing with it.
00:34 So the fact that she was able to survive it for as long
00:37 as she did is really a true testament to her dedication
00:41 to being healthy.
00:42 I remember having dinner at her house in Palm Springs
00:45 and her and Alan cooking for me and working
00:47 in a garden together.
00:48 I mean, those two talk about loving each other.
00:50 I mean, they were--
00:51 I don't think anybody can love another person like those two
00:54 love each other.
00:54 It's insane.
00:55 When you think about the definition of soulmate,
00:57 that's what you think about in your head,
00:59 the two of them together.
01:00 Correct.
01:01 They were-- like, they're a poster.
01:03 You know what I mean?
01:04 But I call it the poster child of love.
01:06 You know, they were just inseparable.
01:10 They worshiped the ground each other walked on.
01:12 So my heart breaks for Alan tremendously
01:15 and our entire family because she was--
01:17 I mean, you could tell she was the matriarch.
01:19 She brought everybody together.
01:20 I love on "Dancing with the Stars"
01:22 when we see that moment when the two people meet
01:25 and you find out who you're going to be
01:27 with for the first time.
01:28 Oh my god.
01:29 Hello, Suzanne Somers.
01:30 Oh my god.
01:31 Are you ready for the thigh master?
01:33 Oh my god.
01:35 Every single time you squeeze thigh master,
01:38 you strengthen and tone right where you need it.
01:40 What do you remember about finding out that you were
01:43 going to be paired with Suzanne?
01:45 It was so funny because when I came to this country,
01:48 I learned how to speak English.
01:49 And I remember watching "Three's Company."
01:52 So when she walked in, I literally--
01:53 I was, like, stunned.
01:55 I learned how to speak English watching those shows.
01:57 So essentially, she kind of taught
01:58 me English through her show.
02:00 I love that.
02:01 So getting to see her walk through the doors,
02:03 I was like, oh my god.
02:04 It's Suzanne Somers.
02:05 No way.
02:06 I couldn't wait to tell my wife.
02:08 I couldn't wait to share that with everybody
02:10 that I was actually dancing with somebody
02:12 that I admired for so many years.
02:14 And did really affect my life.
02:16 [MUSIC - ALAN SOMERS, "DANCE WITH THE STARS"]
02:17 (SINGING) Coming up on our door.
02:20 We've been waiting for you.
02:24 When you got to dance to the "Three's Company"
02:26 theme on this show, what was that moment like for you guys?
02:31 It was so awesome.
02:33 It was so crazy because watching the show,
02:35 learning how to speak English, then
02:37 getting to dance with Chrissy, and then
02:39 and being on the-- almost like the recreation of the set.
02:43 So for me, it was like, wow.
02:45 You know, it was a great moment for me
02:48 to kind of live a nostalgic moment of TV--
02:53 with a TV icon.
02:54 Because she was a staple on TV.
02:57 I mean, everybody knows who Suzanne Somers is.
02:59 Come in the kitchen and show me what you've got.
03:04 So the fact that I was able to really, you know,
03:08 get to live that moment with her was pretty impressive.
03:11 I actually have all of her books in my house, in my library.
03:15 So I got to find out how much she cared about people.
03:19 I got to find out how much she cares about healthy living
03:22 and giving women power to live a healthy life
03:25 and natural beauty.
03:28 You know, she didn't have any work done whatsoever.
03:31 She was just absolute beautiful, natural.
03:34 And she aged so gracefully and beautifully that--
03:37 and that smile never left her face.
03:39 It just-- there's so many nice things to say about her.
03:43 And I think her legacy is the fact that we always remember
03:45 her with a smile on her face.
03:47 Do you have a moment on the show with her
03:49 that was like a standout for you or a memorable moment?
03:53 Actually, it was--
03:55 Alan actually set this thing up, where
03:57 he put pies on our face.
03:59 It was right in front of the rehearsal.
04:02 And I mean, he was a bit of a prankster.
04:04 He liked jokes.
04:06 So he threw pies in our faces.
04:08 It was hilarious.
04:09 [LAUGHTER]
04:09 Looking great.
04:11 Can we get a fan photo with the whipped cream?
04:14 Can we get a team photo?
04:16 It was crazy, because we both had no idea.
04:19 And this whole thing was set up.
04:20 And they wanted to surprise us.
04:23 And boy, did we get surprised.
04:27 It was-- I mean, we got covered in that.
04:31 And it did not taste well either.
04:34 It was fun.
04:36 But I laughed the entire time.
04:37 At first, you're in shock.
04:38 But then you immediately realize they got you.
04:41 Yeah, they got you good.
04:43 They got you really good.
04:44 I know.
04:45 It was a great moment.
04:46 It was a good moment, because that had described them.
04:49 I feel like I participated in Alan and Suzanne's relationship
04:53 in that sense.
04:54 Because they were just a ball of joy and always having fun,
04:58 always trying to make each other laugh.
04:59 You mentioned that, you know, Suzanne fought cancer
05:02 for a very long time, many reoccurrences of her cancer,
05:06 and that she was also dealing with it
05:07 when you danced together.
05:10 So did she have those challenges when you trained?
05:13 Or did you just know about her history with fighting cancer?
05:17 You know, I knew about her history
05:18 about fighting cancer.
05:20 The interesting thing about Suzanne
05:22 is that positivity was a big part of her life,
05:25 being optimistic.
05:27 She never acted like the victim.
05:29 She never brought it up as an excuse when we were working.
05:33 She never-- I mean, she was so full of life
05:38 and full of positivity that you would never
05:40 know that she had breast cancer.
05:41 The interesting thing about that is that she truly
05:44 believed with her entire heart that being positive and being
05:48 optimistic and looking forward to the future
05:50 was the way to beat cancer.
05:52 And she battled that terrible disease for so many years.
05:57 But honestly, she lived every moment to its fullest.
06:00 I know you're not a doctor, but it
06:02 sounds like you feel like her positive outlook,
06:06 she felt like that was a way to overcome a lot of the health
06:11 struggles that she was having.
06:13 Yeah, and she also did a lot of interesting things.
06:16 I mean, she writes about it in her books,
06:18 about eating healthy and finding natural ways to fight cancer.
06:23 There's a part of me that wishes that she did more.
06:26 But then there's a part of me that I would never want
06:28 her to change even one bit because I
06:32 think the reason why she was able to beat it
06:34 for so many years--
06:36 and from what I understand, it was the aggressive type.
06:38 She still beat it for 20 some odd years,
06:41 that she lived with it and beat it and was in remission
06:44 and came back and so on.
06:46 So she had a constant battle, but you'd never know it
06:48 because she always looked happy.
06:50 And she always looked like she was going
06:52 to just enjoy every moment.
06:53 When's the last time you got to communicate with her?
06:57 I saw her at an event right before I left.
07:02 She was singing and telling stories in--
07:05 I think it was in Las Vegas.
07:09 And I got to speak to her before she did that.
07:12 And she was so happy to perform on stage.
07:15 And my memory of her is she just kept saying to me,
07:20 read the books, stay positive, be happy.
07:23 Everything in life is not worth being angry or upset about.
07:28 And I was like, wow, what a great message.
07:30 It sounds like that's how you believe
07:32 she would want to be remembered.
07:34 The way I want to remember her and the way--
07:36 the first thought in my head is her smile.
07:38 It's literally her smile and the way
07:40 she affected everybody around her.
07:42 Everybody around her loved her, and for a good reason
07:44 because she was somebody that's very easily loved.
07:48 So good.
07:49 Thank you, Tony.
07:51 I appreciate the time.
07:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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