Mario

Dancing with the Stars' Karina Smirnoff Trusts Beau Mario Lopez

Mandi Illuzzi — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:26:33 -0400

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"Unless there is something that I don't know, [rumors are] all BS," she tells Us

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Karina Smirnoff trusts her boyfriend Mario Lopez and doesn't listen to gossip that he's
cheating.

"The only rumor I saw was in a magazine where it said [Mario] was seen with [a woman] who was actually just at the same place at the same time," Smirnoff told Usmagazine.com. "He doesn't even know who the lady is!"

"My instinct is that, unless there is something that I don't know, it's all BS and it's not true," she added.

As for rumors that the Dancing With the Stars pro – who was voted off May 6 – didn't get along with her partner R&B singer Mario?

"I don't think we ever fought!" Smirnoff said. "We only had one disagreement once about the schedule early in the show, because I said, 'You really need to put in as much time as you can. You can't go off and promote your CD as much as you used to while you're on the show.'"

Now off DWTS, Smirnoff plans to spend her time off in NYC supporting Lopez's Broadway debut in Chorus Line.

"Mario is doing an amazing job!" Smirnoff raved to Us. "As soon as the show is over, he's going to take a few weeks off to go on a small tour for his fitness book and I'm going with him."

Check out Dancing With the Stars style here.

Tell Us: Do you think Karina should trust Mario?

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Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez arrive to the opening of Beso Restaurant on March 6, 2008 in Hollywood, California.

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Karina Smirnoff on Mario's Ousting: I'll Miss Him "Licking His Lips"

Alissa R — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:30:08 -0400

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PLUS: Sabrina Bryan & Drew Lachey popped by DWTS' 100th episode

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Now that R&B singer Mario's been voted off Dancing With the Stars, what will his partner Karina Smirnoff miss most?

"His attitude," she told Usmagazine.com shortly after his elimination Tuesday, "and him licking his lips!"

Mario and Smirnoff earned 53 out of 60 points for their Viennese waltz and jive on Monday's performance show. One judge called his feet "bloody ugly" after his Latin dance.

"I never let my judges and what they said affect me because then you will focus on what they say, and you can't do that," Mario said.

Of his time on DWTS, he added, "We had a blast. What more can I ask for?"

Smirnoff — who who blasted rumors that she and Mario were hooking up — told
Us, "we will still hang out.

"He is mature, humble, a class act," she said. "He always took a high road."

Meanwhile, top-scorer Cristian de la Fuente — who ruptured a tendon last week — and partner Cheryl Burke still seem to be going strong. (She choreographed their tango and mambo routines this week so that he mostly used his good arm.)

They will join NFL player Jason Taylor, Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Marissa Jaret Winokur in next week's semifinals.

"I was so surprised!" Winokur told Us. "I did not at all think it was going to happen. I was so shocked they called us first — that was major!"

In honor of the show's 100th episode Tuesday, several former contestants — including Kelly Monaco, Jane Seymour, Drew Lachey, Ian Ziering, Sabrina Bryan -- popped by.

"I wish more people would of danced!" Yamaguchi told Us. "I was hoping Joey Lawrence, Drew Lachey and Stacey Keibler would have danced!"

Tell Us: Did Mario deserve to go home?

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Karina Smirnoff: Mario Lopez and I "Are Going Strong"

Alissa R — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:45:08 -0400

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She shoots down split rumors, but admits, "everybody goes through ups and downs"

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Despite a people.com report, Dancing With the Stars' Karina Smirnoff says she and beau Mario Lopez haven't called it quits.

"You know, everybody goes through ups and downs in their relationships," she told Usmagazine.com in a telephone interview Tuesday. "That’s kind of a given, and it’s normal. But Mario and I are going strong."

Lopez, she said, "is a great guy, and I support him 100 percent, and I know he supports me.

"We are totally fine - and I'm not moving out!" she added. "You guys will be the first to know if I'm moving out."

Smirnoff met the actor on the third season of the hit ABC show when he was a contestant.

In March, Smirnoff told Us "there is nothing" to rumors she's hooking up with her current DWTS partner, R&B singer Mario.

"We have a completely professional relationship," she told Us. "I have a lot of respect for Mario. He is a great person."

Lopez told Us just two weeks ago that the rumor was "funny."

The actor, best known for his role in the '90s show Saved By the Bell, is currently starring in Broadway's A Chorus Line.

To see couples who have split this spring, click here.

Want more Dancing With the Stars? Click here for more dish, photos and contestant commentary on your favorite show at DWTS Extra!

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Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez arrive to the opening of Beso Restaurant sponsored by Hornitos tequila on March 6, 2008 in Hollywood, CA.

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Mario Lopez: Karina Smirnoff Affair Rumors Are "Funny"

Mandi Illuzzi — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:01:03 -0400

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"People make up crazy stuff," he says of reports that his girlfriend had a fling with her DWTS partner

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When rumors swirled that his girlfriend Karina Smirnoff was having a fling with her DWTS partner, R&B singer Mario, Mario Lopez couldn't help but chuckle.

"People make up crazy stuff," he told Usmagazine.com at the International Vision Expo in NYC on Sunday. "I thought it was funny.

"I know the nature of the business and people talk," he added. "It’s funny because those rumors always tend come up during the season."

(In the new issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now — Mario, the R&B singer, and Smirnoff also deny romance rumors. They may not have hooked up, but click here to see other surprising couples who've dated.)

Keeping Lopez from dwelling on those affair rumors? Prepping for his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line!

The former DWTS contestant said it is harder than competing on the hit ABC show.

"It’s more like a marathon in the sense that you know it’s going to
be eight performances a week," he told Us. "It’s an intense couple of hours."

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Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff attend the "HORNITOS Tequila Presents Beso Restaurant Grand Opening" on March 6,2008 in Hollywood,California.

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Karina Smirnoff Slams Mario Hookup Rumors

Mandi Illuzzi — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:43:12 -0400

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"We have a completely professional relationship," she tells Us of her DWTS partner

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Karina Smirnoff tells Usmagazine.com "there is nothing" to rumors that she is hooking up with her Dancing With the Stars partner, R&B singer Mario.

"We have a completely professional relationship," she tells Us. "I have a lot of respect for Mario. He is a great person."

The New York Post reports that Mario and Smirnoff (who is dating Mario Lopez) were "making out by the valet with their hands all over each other" at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.

Mario's rep also denies the claim, telling Us, "this did not happen."

But a source close to the singer insists "there is definitely chemistry and a flirtation between the two."

Want more Dancing With the Stars? Click here for more dish, photos and contestant commentary on your favorite show at DWTS Extra!

Tell Us: Which Mario should Karina date?

Want more Dancing With the Stars? Click here for more dish, photos and contestant commentary on your favorite show at DWTS Extra!

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Mario and Karina Smirnoff at Mercedes-Benz Oscar Viewing Party on February 24, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.

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R&B Singer Mario Dazzles on Dancing With the Stars

Lindsay Powers — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:00:04 -0400

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He was a frontrunner as the men performed on Monday’s premiere

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R&B singer Mario nabbed the top score of 24 out of 30 for his cha-cha on last night’s Dancing with the Stars premiere.

But mastering his moves wasn’t easy.

“Oh man, I pulled my groin!” he told Usmagazine.com backstage after last night’s show in L.A. “I was like great balls of fury!”

His partner Karina Smirnoff wouldn’t cut him any slack: “She still made me dance!” he complained.

Coming in second on last night’s show: Miami Dolphins’ Jason Taylor, who scored 22 points for his foxtrot and Chilean actor Cristian de la Fuente, who earned 21 points for his cha-cha.

Actor Steve Guttenberg scored 18 points, followed by Penn Jillette at 16 points and Adam Carolla at 15 points.

Carolla gave Us his own rating: “I would say a 6 or even a 7, but then when I go home and watch it on TiVo, I will probably give myself a 4. [But] I was having fun!”

The six female contestants debut tonight. Click here to read the exclusive diary of Marissa Jaret Winokur before she hits the stage.

Mario

Dancing with the Stars' Karina Smirnoff Trusts Beau Mario Lopez

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Karina Smirnoff on Mario's Ousting: I'll Miss Him "Licking His Lips"

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