Kym Johnson
Born in 1977, Kym Johnson is a native Australian who came late to ballroom dance. Orignally trained in tap, jazz, and ballet, she only began ballroom dancing at the age of 15, when her brother dragged her to classes thinking it would be a great way for him to meet girls. Soon after, Johnson realized that ballroom dancing was something she was good at and enjoyed, and decided to pursue it at the competitive level.
In 1998, Johnson entered the Australian Dancesport Championships and placed second with her partner, Lithuanian dancer Tomas Atkocevicius. The two also made it to the finals at the U.K. Ballroom Championships, and Johnson continued to study in the U.K. before making her way across Europe and North America on the ‘Burn the Floor’ dance tour.
During the tour, Johnson also found time to dance at several additional events, such as Elton John’s 50th birthday party, Cannes Film Festival, and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. She also participated in the Australian production of “Back to My Roots”, produced by Dame Edna/Barry Humphries, before continuing with the dance tour.
In 2004, Johnson made her television debut when she joined the cast of the Australian version of reality show Dancing with the Stars, and would appear in Seasons 1-3, winning Season 2 with dance partner Tom Williams. In the 4th season, although Johnson was not a regular participant, she appeared in a cameo during the Grand Final, performing with musical artist Alex Lloyd.
In 2006, Johnson made an appearance on Australia’s Celebrity Survivor, representing the charity Merry Makers, a non-profit organization that helps physically and mentally disabled individuals express themselves through the use of dance.
Also in 2006, Johnson took a role on the American version of Dancing with the Stars, and was partnered with famed talk show host Jerry Springer. Although they were the seventh couple to leave the show, Johnson wrote a Behind-the-Scenes diary of the show for the Australian edition of OK! Magazine.
Later that year, Johnson began touring with the American “Dancing with the Stars Tour”, partnered with former New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre, but due to an arm injury could only perform on sporadic nights. However, Johnson also helped create the popular exercise DVD Dancing with the Stars: Cardio Dance with fellow cast professionals Maksin Chmerkovskiy and Ashly DelGrosso-Costa.
Although she was engaged to Australian cricket star Shane Watson for two years, Johnson ended the relationship after becoming closely involved with Australian Dancing with the Stars dance partner Tom Williams. That relationship ended soon after the season itself ended, however Johnson rebounded with a magazine photo spread in Australian men’s magazine FHM.
Johnson returned to the cast of Dancing with the Stars for the 2007 Season, partnered with former N’Sync member Joey Fatone.
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