Jenna Dewan’s fiancé, Steve Kazee, hinted at the “criticism” she has faced while competing on Dancing With the Stars.
“I could not be more in awe of this incredible woman,” Kazee, 50, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, September 30, after Yacht Rock Night. “The amount of literal blood, sweat, and tears she has poured into this journey over the last month has been beyond amazing to witness. The hours, the bruises, the blisters, the exhaustion, the nerves, the constant push to get better.”
Kazee — who has been engaged to Dewan, 45, since 2020 — gushed about her commitment to the process. “She has given herself completely to this experience, and somehow, through all of it, she is joy,” he added. “I think in life we should all want the people we love most to have the chance to fill their hearts with the things that make them feel most alive. To challenge themselves. To surprise themselves. To remember parts of who they are that maybe got buried beneath work, parenthood, responsibility, and just the everyday business of life.”
The actor reflected on the work Dewan has been putting into each performance with pro Val Chmerkovskiy.
“Getting to watch her find that feeling every single week has been such a gift, not only for her, but for our whole family,” he wrote. “I know everyone gets to see the performances on Tuesday nights, but I get to see everything that happens in between. The work. The doubt. The determination. The sore feet. The late nights. The moments when she thinks she can’t do it, and then somehow does it anyway.”
Kazee’s lengthy tribute also referenced the negativity that Dewan has faced throughout season 35 due to her prior dance experience.
“I’ve also watched her take on all the noise that comes with putting yourself out there like this. The opinions, the chatter, and the criticism that, despite best attempts, feels almost inescapable in this age of the almighty algorithm,” he wrote. “And what has impressed me most is that she keeps showing up with an open heart.”
He concluded: “She listens, she works, she keeps learning, and she refuses to let any of it steal the joy she has found in doing this. I am just so damn proud of her and I am honored to stand beside her through it all. Keep dancing, baby. Keep filling up that heart. I’ll be right here cheering louder than anyone.”
Us confirmed Dewan’s casting before the full list of celebrities was revealed in early September. Fans were quick to point out the actress began her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and also scored her breakout role in the 2006 dance movie Step Up, prompting questions about whether she had a leg up on the competition.
“I do not know how to ballroom dance,” she told Entertainment Weekly in September. “Let’s be clear. It’s two different languages.”
Dewan said the DWTS experience was still a challenge, sharing, “There’s parts of my dance training that’s helpful, obviously. I’ve learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me. It’s a new technique, brand new technique.”
She continued: “It almost threw me off, initially, because I had to unlearn a lot of — I don’t want to say bad habits — but just habits of the style that I’m used to.”
Dewan admitted her dance background made her “a little more nervous” to compete in some ways, because ballroom “feels really foreign.”
“It’s not like you’re giving me a style that I’ve done — I can go out there and do that. It has its advantages, but it also has its challenges,” she noted. “But that was part of why I wanted to do it. I really wanted to challenge myself.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
