Ali Landry has had plenty of forays into reality television over the years, but the former Miss USA says she has turned most of them down, including a spot on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Landry, 53, tells People that ‘DWTS’ was likely the first major offer she declined. The timing played a major role in her decision not to do the show. “That one was a no for me at the time because I had gone through a terrible public breakup and I had just met my husband,” Landry explains. “We were at the time, I believe, engaged. And ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ being in such close proximity to the opposite sex and the dancing… it’s very intimate. I did not want to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with my husband.”
The public breakup Landry refers to is her brief marriage to actor Mario Lopez in 2004. She married film director Alejandro Gómez Monteverde two years later. The couple married on April 8, 2006.
Landry’s Candid Take on ‘DWTS’ Intimacy
Landry didn’t mince words about what she believes the show glosses over for its contestants. “People pass these things off as if it’s no big deal, you’re just dancing. But that’s a lie,” she says. “You spend all your time with the person and you’re that physically close–feelings arise. And I think I was so sensitive because of that breakup that I was hyper-aware of that. I was not going to sugarcoat any of that.”
Landry’s honest comments are reminiscent of ‘DWTS’ pro Sharna Burgess’ comments at DWTS Con this past August about her own hesitation to do the show with her husband, Brian Austin Green. Burgess, however, had different reasons.
Burgess said her relationship with Green was so new when they were offered the show that it felt like a lot of pressure. “I’m so passionate in the dance studio, right? We hadn’t even been dating a year, so it felt like a lot of pressure to put on our relationship. And I think it was week two, the show really wanted us to do a rumba that was ‘our song.’ And we were like, ‘Ooh, it’s so soon for these things, but okay.’”
The intimate nature of the show creates pressure, as both stars have pointed out. For Burgess, the pressure became about defining a relationship publicly while still trying to define it for herself. Landry’s point that the show requires a significant commitment to another person similarly manifests that pressure.
Turning Down ‘Real Housewives’ – ‘Peace, Truth and Joy’
‘Dancing with the Stars’ is not the only show Landry has declined to join in the past. Despite close, long-standing friendships within the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast and having had chances to join the cast herself, Landry didn’t pursue those offers. She says she ultimately decided that the lifestyle didn’t align with what she wanted.
“When you start looking at the quality of your life… I guess I do a lot of internal work. I meditate, I pray, I journal. I’m pretty clear about what I would like my life to look like,” she says. “And the main keywords for me are peace, truth and joy. And that did not fit into what I wanted.”
Despite her comments, Landry acknowledged the appeal was real. “It all looked fun. I saw my friends having a good time, but I saw the flip side of it where I saw the struggles as well. It just wasn’t worth it for me,” she added. “It was a hard decision, but I’m glad I made it.”
