How Double-Amputee Noah Galloway Made it Into the ‘DWTS’ Finals — Against All Odds

Noah Galloway (right) and his partner Sharna Burgess (center) with “Dancing With The Stars” host Tom Bergeron.  (Photo: ABC)

Tonight is the finale of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars — meaning one of the final three contestants will soon be taking home the mirror ball trophy. Rumer Willis brings passion to the stage, while R5 band member Riker Lynch is considered the entertainer on the show. But one contestant, double-amputee Iraqi war veteran Noah Galloway, is the inspiration this year, landing in the final three despite physical limitations.

“I stepped out of my comfort zone,” Noah, 33, tells Yahoo Health. “I’m not a dancer, but I figured, why not?”

Growing up in in Birmingham, Alabama, Noah never dreamed he’d be where he is today. He joined the military in 2001 and on Dec. 19, 2005, during his second deployment to Iraq, he was severely injured by an IED. He was unconscious for five days, losing his left arm above the elbow and his left leg above the knee, and needed to have his jaw wired shut.

Despite his injures — not to mention his unfamiliarity with the dance world — Noah has succeeded on DWTS. He believes his military background actually gives him an edge on the competition. “To make it this far takes a lot,” he says. “The big difference between me and Rumer and Riker is that they have the entertainment aspect of working hard, but I have the military conditioning and fitness. In the final weeks, it wasn’t tiring me out because I was used to working long hours.”

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In fact it was those long days that he enjoyed the most. “When you’re deployed, you’re on 24/7 and I loved that about the military,” says Noah, who was also recently named the face of Kenneth Cole’s latest fragrance, MANKIND Ultimate. "I missed having this much work to do.” He used the same “go hard” military mentality with his rehearsal schedule, admitting he and partner Sharna Burgess were often the first ones in and the last ones out — which “made me feel good.”

Noah with partner Sharna Burgess. (Photo: ABC)

Noah says he only expected to last about three weeks in the show — but he kept making the cut due to his work ethic. “I actually realized that I was doing something that was much bigger than I am,” he says. “It pushed me to keep working harder each week.” Having to working around his injuries, Noah says that more time was spent figuring out what movements he could even accomplish, versus actually learning dance steps. “Usually the dance wasn’t put together for me to learn it until Saturday,” he says.

While many other celebrities have gone on the show to lose weight and get in better shape, Noah came to the competition already healthy — and actually used his strength to perform complex moves. “It helped me a lot to already be in shape,” he says. He strength trains at home with kettlebells, which he says helped with the first lift he did with partner Sharna.

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His strength and endurance have certainly helped him reach one of the top spots on the show, but Noah is looking forward to getting back to his gym routine at home. “This workout has been a different kind of workout,” he says. “I’ve maintained fitness the best I can and avoided the junk food on set."

And all that dancing has had effects on his body beyond what he could have expected: “I was out walking with my fiancée Jamie and she noticed that my walking has improved,” he says. “I had learned to shift my weight better after dancing so much."

Noah Galloway with his fiancée Jamie. (Photo courtesy of Noah Galloway)

So, will Noah be incorporating dancing into his fitness regime at home? "I’ll dance at my wedding,” he says. “But other than that, I’m not a dancer."

The veteran adds that he’s "not nervous” about the results of the show, and is looking forward to doing a special dance with former contest Amy Purdy, who lost both her legs to meningitis. “I would love to win,” he says, “but if Riker or Rumer win, I’ll be happy. I’m really proud of them.“

Whether he walks away with a win or not, Noah just wants to make a difference. "A lot of injured veterans and veterans in general have reached out to me,” he says. “It’s taking their excuses away to move forward. If I am able to reach even a couple of veterans that are going through something tough, then it’s all worth it.”

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