Beside sharing his plan for the trophy, the 'Dancing with the Stars' winner tells reporters that his win is not only an accomplishment for him and partner Karina Smirnoff, but also for his mother.
- Nov 23, 2011
AceShowbiz - What plans J.R. Martinez have in store for his mirrorball trophy? Speaking to reporters after being crowned the winner of "Dancing with the Stars" season 13 on Tuesday, November 22 night, the 28-year-old joked, "I'm going to put it in bed, tuck it in, and it's going to roll around with me."
That's not all though. The "All My Children" actor added, "And after that, once we've grown apart, I'm going to glue it on the hood of my car, drive around Los Angeles, and be in my own parade." He also tossed in another idea when talking to E! News backstage, "Or be like rappers and make a chain out of it and just wear it around!"
Sharing his thought on his win, the former U.S. Army soldier told reporters as quoted by Entertainment Weekly, "I just want to take a moment and breathe, take it in. The fact that we were able to top it off with this ... we created a lot of magical moments together on this show that we'll cherish for the rest of our lives."
"And my friend won her first mirror ball trophy! Everyone knows she is a beautiful dancer, but I'm able to vouch that she's also a beautiful person," he continued as referring to his dancing partner Karina Smirnoff. "I'm glad I was able to see that and America was able to see that as well."
Martinez, whose life was changed in 2003 when the truck he was driving hit a land mine in Iraq, was also full of gratitude toward his mother Maria. Talking about the time he was declared the winner, the actor said, "I had everyone coming up to me and congratulating me, and I felt someone pulling on my suspenders, and it was my mom who is 4 foot 11. Poor thing she's way down there!"
"I just kissed her and said, 'Can you imagine that eight and half years ago you were one of those people teaching me how to walk. And now for me to come out in front of millions of people and dance?' As much as this is an accomplishment for myself and for Karina," he said, "it is accomplishment for my mother, as well."
Martinez went on to say, "There are a lot of challenges we go through in life. Unwillingly, we are put into situations, like what happened to me in Iraq. And like this, I willingly joined the show. But with those challenges, you have to continue to maintain a positive attitude. You've got to believe in yourself. I proved to myself that I really can accomplish a lot of things when I'm willing to put my mind to it."
