Kenya Moore was already a major reality TV star, one of the biggest stars from Real Housewives of Atlanta.
However, when she joined Dancing With the Stars Season 30, she had a different reason for joining than many other stars.
In an exclusive interview with Hollywood TV, Moore said that she joined DWTS because of her grandmother.
Kenya Moore on why she joined DWTS
“I was introduced to dance by my grandmother who raised me from three days old,” Kenya Moore said in the interview. “She had myself and her daughter at five years old dancing at a local community center.”
Moore called this experience as a child “free, fun, and amazing.” She also credited it to developing her love for dance.
Sadly, Moore’s grandmother won’t get a chance to see her on Dancing With the Stars.
“I lost my grandmother three years ago, so when I got the offer to do the show this year, I was like absolutely,” Moore said. “I will be dancing for not only my grandmother but for my daughter, who is now almost three years old. It’s for them.”
Moore also talked about how different Dancing With the Stars is from everything she has done before.
“I am an actor, a former model, a former Miss USA, a writer, a director, a producer. I kind of do everything,” Moore explained. “I am like this busy CEO mom. I think that you have to be very, number one, dedicated to something you love.”
She said that dance was something that she completely loved.
“For me, my skillset coming into this competition is that I’m dedicated, I’m passionate about winning, I’m passionate about dancing, I’m passionate about honoring my grandmother, I’m passionate about being an example for my daughter of strength,” Moore said.
She went on to say that she wants to show her daughter that she is someone who can set her goal and achieve her dreams.
“This is a dream come true for me to be here,” Moore said.
As for the upcoming episodes, Moore said that she is looking forward to doing the tango, the cha-cha, the Latin dances. She said she is not looking forward to doing the standards because she felt the judges will be harsher because of the rules of each dance.
Kenya Moore’s Week 1 performance
Kenya Moore teamed with Brandon Armstrong and danced to the foxtrot.
In the dance, Moore scored a 26 out of 40, with judge Len Goodman remarking that “It had a charm and a sophistication that you want to see in a foxtrot. Well done.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.