Backstage Report: Regrets, Cloris Has But a Few
Tom Bergeron, Samantha Harris, Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas, Dancing with the Stars
It was another astonishing Cloris Leachman moment. When the cameras stopped rolling on Tuesday night, pro Derek Hough pulled Leachman into his arms and took her for a breathtaking spin around the floor. "Wasn't that brilliant?" Michael "Lord Of The Dance" Flatley asked after the show. "He ran right out, the first one, gave her a kiss and took her for a spin. World-class. Hats off to Derek."
The orchestra kept playing and the crowd gasped as they picked up speed — perhaps wondering why Cloris had never looked so sure-footed during one of her performances. Maybe it was the last hurrah of someone who was really looking forward to getting off her tired feet, because the moment the dance ended, Leachman headed backstage and changed into fuzzy brown suede bedroom slippers.
But there will be little time for putting her feet up. Leachman has already been tapped to be Grand Marshal of Pasadena's Rose Parade on New Year's Day. Is she going to dance down the street? Or shimmy in her parade car? "No," she says. "I hope I'll be riding on a horse. That's my wish. I'm trying to get them to let me."
Does she have any regrets about her tenure on Dancing with the Stars?" "I could have lost a little more weight, definitely. And learned the steps a little better." But she's not ready to say goodbye to the ballroom just yet. She's threatening to show up next week — in the dress she would have worn to compete — and sit on the sidelines. If it's possible for Leachman to ever sit on the sidelines.
"She's an old-world star, and there aren't many of those around today," says Flatley. "She glows from head to toe. When she smiles she takes possession of your heart, and the entire audience. I was happy to see her reigning supreme here tonight one last time. And I'm sad to see her go."
