Jen Affleck is lacing up her ballroom shoes for season 34 of Dancing With the Stars just weeks after giving birth to her and husband Zac Affleck’s third baby.
“I’m out of shape,” Jen, 26, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Dancing With the Stars cast reveal. “It’s been a year since I’ve worked out. I’m excited to get back into shape.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star shared that “a part of” the reason why she wanted to do a natural childbirth with her third baby was for Dancing With the Stars. (Jen and Zac share daughters Nora, 3, Penny, 2 months, and son Luca, 2.)
“My recovery has been a game changer. I ran the New York City Marathon three months postpartum with my second, so I was confident that I would be ready to bounce back,” she said. “I’m glad I did it because now I’m up and ready.”
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Jen, who’s partnered with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour dancer Jan Ravnik, noted that she’s been surprised by “all of the lifts” the pair have done in rehearsals.
“That’s what he’s known for,” Jen said of Jan. “We’re definitely doing a lot of lifts and flips. That’s definitely been challenging because I am still healing from having a baby. So it’s been a bit humbling, but it’s been fun.”
Jen shared that Jan is working her “hard,” but the duo have worked out a deal where they can both help each other throughout the competition.
“I told him, I was like, ‘Hey, you can push me as much as you want, as long as we post content,’” Jen recalled. “I’m pushing him with the content and he’s pushing me with the dance.”
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Jen gushed that Jan is “just excited” to be taking on the ballroom for the first time. “He’s already done the crazy stuff, performing in front of millions of people. I think he’s got it down,” Jen shared.
Jen and her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costar Whitney Leavitt both learned during the reunion in July that they would be competing on season 34 of the ABC dancing competition show. (Whitney, for her part, is partnered with pro dancer Mark Ballas.)
While celebrating the news, Jen teased to Whitney, “I hope you know you’re going down. Just kidding. Bring it on.”
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ September 16 at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
