Wendy Williams On Her Motivation For Joining ‘Dancing’ & Body Image Issues: I’m Not ‘Tall & Thin Like Spaghetti’

Wendy Williams will make her dance floor debut on “Dancing with the Stars” in mere weeks, and the outspoken talk show host says she’s willing to work through her lack of physical grace to reap a few choice benefits.

“I am not the most coordinated person… but the opportunity to have a professional, a world-class dancer with one-on-one lessons? That’s number one,” Wendy told Access Hollywood of what motivated her to join the reality dance competition at a rehearsal in LA on Friday. “Number two, of course, the transformation of your body. You get longer, you get leaner.”

Wendy did her homework when it came time to sign on the dotted “Dancing” line – she dug for photos of past contestants, looking for noticeable positive body changes.

“I Googled some of the past participants and I saw some weight loss — you know, 10, 20, 30 pounds. Why not?” she told Access. “I’m 46, so this is like my last train to Clarksville in terms of intense working out. This is like training for a marathon.”

“The Wendy Williams Show” host confessed her less-than-petite frame has been a source of angst since childhood.

“I’m not just tall – I’m also big. So, it’s more than height,” Wendy told Access. “That has been my bone of contention all my life – the idea that I don’t move as gracefully as others because I am not tall and thin like spaghetti and I am not short and fat like a pea!

“But I do represent millions of people — men and women — who are, perhaps, not the best dancers,” she added.

Wendy is partnered with seasoned pro dancer Tony Dovolani, who said he’s been impressed by his new student’s work ethic thus far.

“[Wendy] is a realist. She understands where she stands and she knows that she has to put the effort in and let me tell you, she’s given me everything she’s got,” Tony told Access, proudly. “And as a teacher, that’s all you can ask for because you don’t want somebody that just comes in and says she wants to do something, you want somebody that’s actually going to do it. And she has definitely proven that.”

Watch Wendy and Tony take on the competition on the two-hour Season 12 premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” — March 21 at 8 PM on ABC.