0
Hines Ward & Kym Johnson
Hines Ward
"The Super Bowl Steeler"
PRO DANCER PARTNER: Kym Johnson
He's a four-time Pro Bowler, three-time Super Bowl participant, two-time Super Bowl champ, and the Super Bowl XL MVP. Now Hines Ward is adding "ballroom dancer" to his already-impressive resume.
Hines holds virtually every record in Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiving history and will go down as the team's all-time leading wide receiver. He was named to the Steelers' 75th Season All-Time Team and will be entering his 14th season with Pittsburgh this upcoming fall. That makes him the longest tenured wide receiver with the same NFL team.
Hines is arguably one of the best blocking wide receivers to ever play the game and is fresh off an outstanding performance in a close loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 2011 Super Bowl. He's a fierce competitor with a big heart and a big smile, which we can't always see behind that darn facemask!
Beyond football, Hines is a symbol of success and goodwill to the Korean community and all of Asia. He started his "Helping Hands" foundation in which he devotes his time in the U.S. and Korea to the fight against bi-racial discrimination.
The program in the U.S. focuses on improving literacy among children and provides programs and services to better equip them for achieving success in life. The program in Korea focuses on raising awareness for the problem of biracial discrimination and providing inspiration to the mixed race children in that country. Hines is considered an ambassador of hope to children everywhere.
Remember how we said we couldn't always see his smile behind his facemask? Well, that won't be the case when he takes center stage on Dancing With The Stars. We're just hoping he can make the judges smile, too!
Photo Credit: NFL Photos
..................
Kym Johnson
CELEBRITY PARTNER: Hines Ward
BACKGROUND:
If you're wondering who to thank for introducing Kym to the world of ballroom dancing, look no further than her immediate family. No, it wasn't her parents. It was her brother! Apparently, he thought dancing would be a good way to meet girls, so Kym was dragged along to the lessons. Way to go, bro!
It wasn't long before Kym was dancing competitively. In December 1998, she and then-partner Tomas Atkocevicius came second at the Australian DanceSport Championships in the Open Amateur Modern Ballroom.
However, we got our first DWTS glimpse of Kym she was paired with Jerry Springer in Season 3. Remember how Kym and Jerry were such fan favorites during their impressive run, which ended with a 5th Place finish? She stepped things up in Season 4 when she dazzled us on her way to a second place finish with Joey Fatone. Loved it! Then in Season 9, Kym took parter Donny Osmond all the way to the Mirror Ball Trophy.
You could say Kym "got down under" when she appeared on Dancing with the Stars (Australia). She also appeared in several TV ads as well as a sexy modeling shoot for FHM magazine. But even though the camera loves her, you can't keep Kym off the dance floor for long, as she also performed on the world tour of the modern ballroom stage show Burn the Floor.
Other highlights of her successful career include dancing at Elton John's 50th birthday party and appearing in the hit movie Strictly Ballroom. But we'll always love her for Dancing With The Stars!
ACHIEVEMENTS:
• Former Australian Amateur Ballroom and Latin champion
• Finalist U.K. Ballroom Championships at Blackpool
• Burn The Floor world tour
• Dancing With The Stars Australia - Seasons 1, 2 and 3
PRIOR CELEBRITY PARTNERS:
• David Hasselhoff
• Donny Osmond
• Jerry Springer
• Joey Fatone
• Mark Cuban
• Warren Sapp
• David Alan Grier
ABC
