Paralympian Ezra Frech got a little advice from Dancing With the Stars alum Amy Purdy before breaking barriers in the ballroom.
“Amy is a dear friend, a mentor of mine for many years, and she was so excited when she found out I was going to be on the show,” Frech, 21, told Us exclusively after the season 35 premiere on Tuesday, September 15. “Her and I have been texting a ton. I’ve gotten tons of advice from her. She is the absolute sweetest.”
Frech continued, “She texted me, like, the day before [the cast] was about to be announced. She’s like, ‘Are you on Dancing With the Stars?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t respond.’ And I responded after. … But she’s the best.”
Purdy, 46, competed on season 18 of DWTS in 2014 with pro Derek Hough, becoming the first double amputee contestant in the show’s history. The pair finished the season in second place behind Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
When Frech made his debut in the DWTS ballroom on Tuesday night, Purdy was spotted cheering him on in the audience.
The track and field athlete performed an electrifying tango with pro Daniella Karagach to “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. Frech earned 20 out of 30 points from the judges — the second-highest score of the night.
“I was so surprised by the scores. I was not expecting that — not at all,” he told Us after the show, noting that the judges “were tough” on night one.
Karagach, 33, couldn’t have been prouder of her partner. “I am just on cloud nine,” she gushed. “The whole thing was so much fun, and honestly, there was no real pressure going into it because I feel like we over prepared for this moment where we just came out and we just had the best time.”
For Frech, who was born without most of his left leg and the fingers on his left hand, the opportunity to appear on DWTS is about more than just the competition.
“I’m competing for all people with physical disabilities across the country. Anyone who looks different, feels different. This is for them,” he told Us. “I want to represent them well. I want to make them proud. … I feel like I’m dancing with the power of 15 percent of the population that lives with a physical disability.”
Shortly before Tuesday’s live episode — which saw Conner Leavitt and pro Adele Zaikman being sent home — Frech sent a loving message to his partner via Instagram.
“Feeling so much gratitude heading into tonight,” he wrote. “Means the world to get to represent the disabled community on such a powerful stage like @dancingwiththestars. Thank you Dani for being my fearless leader, the best teacher, and big sis. Cannot wait for you all to see this dance. We put our whole hearts into it.”
The two-night Dancing With the Stars premiere continues on ABC and Disney+ Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
