Elizabeth Berkley feels like she hit the “Dancing with the Stars” pro partner jackpot with Val Chmerkovskiy.
Not only is the Ukrainian hunk a strong leader in the ballroom, the former “Saved by the Bell” says Val fully embraces her statuesque height – even if she’s a few inches taller than him with her heels on.
“Val is very much just wanting me to stand in all my woman-ness,” the 41-year-old beauty told Access Hollywood Live’s Billy Bush and Kit Hoover, when asked if Val is intimidated by her height. “I so appreciate that.”
The actress said she’s used to Hollywood men asking her to bend down slightly to make them appear taller – but not Val!
“Some men don’t want a woman to kind of stand in that. It’s really a new kind of thing for me!” she said.
One of the most difficult “DWTS” tasks Elizabeth has had to work on is letting herself be led by Val while dancing.
“My own stuff is coming up — just being led by someone and trusting and surrendering to that. That’s something daily he’s kind of instilling in me, that I can trust him,” she explained, adding that years of working in entertainment has caused her to become guarded. “We’re building a beautiful trust and I’m excited to see what that feels like.”
Watch Elizabeth and Val’s “Dancing with the Stars” debut when Season 17 premieres on Monday at 8/7c on ABC.
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