Winning the Indianapolis 500 in two consecutive years has made Helio Castroneves a household name in the racing world, but thanks to his enormous success on the fifth season of ABC’s hit reality competition Dancing with the Stars, he’s become popular among the dancing community as well.
“People come up to me and say they like watching me dance,” he told TV Guide from Indianapolis’ Conseco Fieldhouse, where he was reunited with show partner Julianne Hough nearly two months after their big win. “And then they say, ‘I voted for you, too.'”
Getting back on the dance floor for the show’s tour didn’t go smoothly at first, but after a few minutes of practicing with Hough, Castroneves was able to get back into the groove of things, to the delight of choreographer Louis Van Amstel.
Things weren’t always this easy for Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough. Back when they were still competing for Dancing with the Stars‘ shiny disco ball-trophy, they often hit some rough patches, especially when they had to perform the rumba.
“That was the week of the rumba, the week the judges said we had no chemistry,” he said, adding that it was because Hough “was giving me too much information. And I said, ‘Is there anything I’m doing right? Because it sounds like everything that I’m doing is wrong!’ And she said, ‘When we get to the finals, we’ve got to learn three dances.’ And I went, ‘When we get to the finals, that’s a good problem. We need to get there, first.'”
Get there, they did, after weeks of hard work and persistence, which were evident in their routines, one of which featured a playful kiss at the end. The kiss immediately sparked rumors of a romance between the two, which further escalated when, after their Dancing with the Stars win, it was reported that Helio Castroneves and his fiance, Aliete Vazquez, had broken up.
To this day, the racecar champion denies that Julianne Hough had anything to do with the break-up.
“I care a lot about [Aliete]. She’s a great person,” he said. “But I would say that the show was probably a wake up call. If I’m not getting the support that I thought I should have, it’s a red flag. I don’t blame anybody. There is no one to blame. I made a lot of mistakes, too, which is part of life. It’s definitely going to help me with future relationships.”
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Guide
(Image Courtesy of ABC)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
