“Dancing With the Stars” contestant Alix Earle shared insight into the reassuring phone call she shared with her NFL player boyfriend before her dancing debut.
Earle detailed the conversation with her boyfriend Braxton Berrios, a wide receiver for the Houston Texans, in an interview with PEOPLE published September 17.
The DWTS contestant said she called Berrios, 29, before she entered the ballroom to perform alongside dancer Val Chmerkovskiy.
“I called [Berrios] on the way [to Dancing with the Stars], just feeling nervous and unsure and uncertain,” she told PEOPLE. “He assured me that feeling nervous is a privilege, and it’s okay to be outside of your comfort zone.”
“He always says this before every game — it’s like, if you’re nervous, you’re doing something right, and I don’t know, getting out of your comfort zone,” she continued. “So it was nice to have him just reassure me of that.”
She went on to say she’s glad to get advice from him about how to handle live performances.
“I mean, he deals with these live things and live performances every week, so it’s always good to get some advice from him,” she explained.
Earle Hits The Ballroom While Berrios Is ‘Stuck In Football World’
GettyEarle told PEOPLE at a press event after the DWTS cast reveal on September 3 that Berrios wouldn’t be in attendance for the season 34 premiere due to conflicts in their schedules.
“He’s stuck in football world right now, so unfortunately he won’t be able to come,” she said.
The 24-year-old influencer shut down breakup rumors in July on her “Hot Mess” podcast. She addressed comments she receives when she and Berrios aren’t seen going out together, clarifying they’re doing long distance.
Earle revealed she and Berrios don’t live together as the pair are in separate states due to his recent signing with the Texas NFL team.
One way the couple is managing long distance, she says, is with phone calls. Earle revealed she calls him at the end of every night after going out with her friends.
Alix Earle’s DWTS Season Premiere Recap
Earle and Chmerkovskiy danced a Cha Cha to Britney Spears’ song “Circus” during the season premiere on September 16, scoring 13 out of 20 points. The performance opened up with Earle dressed in a ringmaster costume in front of a ring engulfed in flames.
DWTS judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli advised the influencer to be fluid in her performance and to play off of her partner’s moves.
Earle takes the stage again on September 23, dancing a Jive to Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” for the episode’s “One-Hit Wonders Night” theme. The contestants face double elimination, with viewer votes and judges’ scores from week one and two being factored into the decision.
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