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Erin Andrews Talks DWTS, Awkward Moment With James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd

Erin Andrews
Erin Andrews talked with ABC News about hosting Dancing With the Stars and pushing through awkward moments like the one she shared with James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd

So you think you can host? Erin Andrews faced an uphill battle when she was chosen to (abruptly) replace longtime Dancing With the Stars co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet before the show's in-progress 18th season, but she feels pretty confident about how she's handled it so far.

"I think I'm doing a good job," the former ESPN reporter, 35, told ABC News. "The biggest thing I would like to do and what I told the producers is, I just want to be really good about being playful."

Related: PHOTOS: DWTS' season 18 contestants

"In the sports world, I can't be like that," she added. (In addition to DWTS, Andrews hosts Fox College Football for Fox Sports.) "On Dancing With the Stars, they don't want me to be so serious," she continued. "The cool part about doing this show is showing I have a bit of a playful side." 

The star — who competed on season 10 of the ABC dance competition — cited Live With Kelly and Michael host Michael Strahan as someone she admires and aspires to be like. "I love watching Strahan and how playful he is with his guests," she said of the former NFL pro. "He makes them feel so comfortable."

Andrews, for her part, made a couple of people feel very uncomfortable on Monday, April 7, when she pressured DWTS partners James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd to say they're dating in real life. But she says her question was misinterpreted.

"It's not like I'm grilling them," she told ABC News. "Like the James and Peta thing this past week — I didn't ask them if they were dating, just like, 'Please say you are!' My girlfriends want them to date. They are so adorable together!"

Related: PHOTOS: DWTS' hottest hookups

She continued: "Since I was 21 years old working in sports, especially being a female in the sports world, you better ask the question everybody wants to know," she continued. "Because if you don't, you don't know the game, you don't know the sport, you don't know what you're talking about, and you're not going to be on the sidelines for very long."

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