Mark Ballas Is Not Afraid to Drop His Pants
Photography by David Handschuh for Yahoo Style
For the past 15 seasons, Dancing With the Stars professional Mark Ballas has danced the tango with a long list of celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Melissa Joan Hart. He’s not just a dancer though—when he’s not on the ballroom floor, Ballas appears on the silver screen and more recently, in the recording studio for his first solo CD HurtLoveBox. We caught up with the multi-talented performer to talk about the New Year and his risky public outings.
Yahoo Style: We heard that you quit smoking- congrats!
Mark Ballas: I quit over a year ago now!
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YS: How did you quit?
MB: I used the NicoDerm patch through GSK. I partnered with them about a year-and-a-half ago. I’d been on-and-off smoking since 15 or 16 years old, and it really started to affect my cardio, stamina and work, so I felt like I needed to do something drastic to really put a stop to it. I’ve quit before, but always ended up going back to it.
YS: That’s a great New Year’s resolution.
MB: Yeah!
YS: You also have a new campaign?
MB: Yes, it’s called What’s Your Why? If you use the hashtag #whatsyourwhy, you can tell people your story—how you quit, what inspired you to quit, what you did to quit. We have thousands of submissions already! It’s inspiring for people who want to take the plunge because quitting is scary, but at the end of the day there’s no shame in having outside help. I think this program is really inspirational. So many people will read these stories and say, “Whoa, that’s just like me!”
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YS: You just finished Dancing With The Stars with Sadie Robertson.
MB: Yes, she’s the best. An absolute angel.
YS: You two were amazing!
MB: We became very good friends. She kept me very calm and had me laughing for the entire season, even at times of stress. The season is usually 60 to 70 percent fun and energetic, but there’s that 40 percent where it’s hard work, which can be tough. With Sadie, I’d say 90 percent was all joy and laughter. It was great.
YS: Do you have a favorite partner of all time?
MB: It’s hard to say, but I would definitely say Sadie is up there.
YS: What about Kim Kardashian?
MB: I love Kim K. She’s a dear friend of mine, and we’re still in touch.
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YS: Was she fun to dance with?
MB: Yeah, we had a great time together. I don’t think dancing was necessarily for her—it wasn’t something she was passionate about—but we made a great friendship out of it.
YS: If you could dance with anyone, who would it be?
MB: Shakira (Shakira, if you’re listening)!
YS: Do you have advice for getting in shape for the New Year?
MB: Stay motivated and find out what works for you. For example, I love juicing, it really works for me.
YS: Do you have a special diet that you follow?
MB: I’m pretty strict when I’m in season. I drink a lot of the green juices and the fruit juices. Kale juice really works for me.
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YS: Do you eat?
MB: I eat! I am really tough on my juice cleanse because I put on 14 pounds on my last break because I didn’t work out at all.
YS: Now, we want to know about that photo of you in your underwear at the Anchorage airport.
MB: I don’t like to be in tight jeans on the plane! The airport wouldn’t let me take my bag on the plane, so I quickly changed into sweats. I had Bristol Palin hold a jacket in front of me, but there was a camera guy—in Anchorage, Alaska, a place of zero paparazzi! I’m about to drop them again because I have to catch a flight!
YS: So this is a normal thing?
MB: In my world, yes. I’ve got no shame!
