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]

07:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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