Danielle Fishel is ready to conquer the Dancing With the Stars ballroom after completing breast cancer treatment.
“When the call came in, it was like the fastest ‘yes’ ever,” Fishel, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 3. “After last year having cancer, I just realized, like, ‘I’m not having enough fun,’ or ‘I’m not experiencing enough joy.’ And the minute this call came in, it sounded like exactly that joy and fun wrapped up into a three-month experience. It’s been a week, and that’s exactly what it’s been — joy and fun.”
Fishel revealed in October 2024 that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and underwent two lumpectomy surgeries. The Boy Meets World alum later completed 20 rounds of radiation, which she finished in January.
“It’s been really, really remarkable. It’s pretty crazy, like, what a year can do,” Fishel told Us. “I remember this time last year, I was recovering from my second surgery and about to start radiation, and now this year, I’m incredibly healthy.”
Danielle Fishel Details ‘Successful’ Surgery After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
She added, “I feel really great, and I’m having the time of my life on the dance floor. So, I can’t wait for everybody to see what we’ve been working hard on.”
Fishel is partnered with pro dancer Pasha Pashkov and has already learned a lot under his ballroom tutelage.
“It’s not totally different because I expected it to be hard, and I was like, ‘I’m just gonna fully commit to it. I’m gonna show up,’” she said. “I will say it’s more fun than I thought it was gonna be because I thought there would probably be days that I would be like, ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe I have to do this again.’ I haven’t felt that way.”
According to Fishel, she’s “literally woken up every day” excited to hit the rehearsal studio.
“I hope it continues for the whole season that way,” she told Us. “That’s been a joy.”
Pashkov, for his part, stressed that Fishel’s health is the most important part of their journey and that he has “no fears, just excitement.”
Danielle Fishel Says It ‘Hurts to Be Awake’ After 20 Rounds of Radiation
Fishel echoed Pashkov’s statements about their early rehearsals, telling Us that they “clicked immediately.”
“We were both very excited when the door opened [and] we saw each other,” Fishel recalled of meeting Pashkov, 39. “When he started teaching me, [I thought,] ‘Am I going to know what to do? Are we going to communicate?’ Well, it’s been the easiest, it feels like we’ve known each other for years, and I don’t know how that’s possible.”
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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