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In a first, Suni Lee, an Olympic gold medalist, has been paired with JoJo Siwa on hit reality competition series Dancing with the Stars. Gymnasts have always been a part of DWTS, so no surprises there. However, what is being widely appreciated is the pairing up of Siwa with a female partner.
In the announcement video, Suni Lee kept it short and sweet:
"I'm so excited to be joining Season 30 of Dancing with the Stars. See you on the dance floor."
Who is Suni Lee?
Suni Lee is an Olympic gold medalist who won USA's fifth gold medal in women’s individual all-around gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics on July 29.
Suni Lee was born Sunisa Phabsomphou to her mother, Yeev. When the gymnast was just two, Yeev met John Lee. Even though the couple never married, Suni Lee considers him to be her father.
Houa John Lee is one of Suni Lee's biggest cheerleaders. Despite becoming paralyzed waist down after a tree-trimming accident, the Laos native never stopped cheering for his daughter. He even built a wooden balance beam in their backyard because he couldn't afford one.
How did JoJo Siwa react to the news?
The DWTS star is over the moon and cannot wait to get started on rehearsals. It's a milestone move and means the world to the reality TV star.
In a video shared by the DWTS official page, Siwa said:
"I'm so excited to be a part of this year's Dancing with the Stars season 30. And I'll be dancing with a girl, I think it's so cool."
Who is Siwa currently dating?
Siwa met girlfriend Kylie Prew on a cruise ship and it's been a fantastic ride since then. Speaking to People, she mentioned that during their first conversation, Prew dissed her for sharing her career story when she only wanted to know what her personal life looked like.
Today, Siwa may be feeling positive emotions about her relationship and work in general. But that wasn't the case shortly after she decided to come out over a series of posts on social media.
She explained:
"I never should have done that. I was thinking that all the comments were going to be nice and supportive, and they weren't. A lot of them were, 'I'm never buying your merch again. My daughter's never watching you again.' I couldn't sleep for three days."
Dancing with the Stars Season 30 will have ballroom experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough reprise their roles as judges, while Tyra Banks will resume hosting duties. The ABC-backed show will premiere on September 20.
