Paralympian Amy Purdy and pro partner Derek Hough might have not won the mirrorball this season on “Dancing with the Stars,” but the pair was overjoyed with their success and accomplishments this season.
Access Hollywood’s Liz Hernandez spoke with the Derek and Amy, who were bested by fellow competitors Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, at Tuesday’s finale.
“I’m floating right now,” Derek said. “What Amy has been able to do and what we created together for me transcended a trophy. I feel so calm tonight, so at ease.”
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Derek said they came a long way since their first day together, where he was uncertain about how Amy being a double amputee would come into play in the ballroom.
(Amy Purdy and Derek Hough perform on ‘Dancing,’ March 18, 2014 – ABC)
“We both really inspire each other and that creates and amazing friendship and partnership,” he told Access. “When she first walked in that door I didn’t know what to expect, she didn’t know what to expect, and each week there was an amazing breakthrough, a moment, I would see the light in her eyes, where she realized, ‘I could do that? I didn’t know I could do that!?’”
The pair was also blown away by how Amy’s success on “DWTS” appears to have inspired others.
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“Yesterday there was a little girl with two prosthetics who got up here and started dancing and to think that maybe she was inspired by seeing Amy… And that is amazing,” he continued.
Amy echoed Derek’s sentiments, telling Access, “Working with Derek has been the most amazing experience… we accomplished every single goal that we set out and for that we won.”
And for Derek, Amy made returning back to “DWTS” worth it.
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“I knew coming into this season that I needed to find something different and there needed to be something different to make me feel inspired again, to do this again and Amy was that inspiration, she really was,” he said with a smile.
Get an entire rundown of Tuesday’s “Dancing with the Stars” finale action!
— Jesse Spero
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