The overweight contestants on “Dance Your Ass Off” told their host, Tony-winner Marissa Jaret Winokur (“Hairspray”), that she was an inspiration to them. But she says that it’s the other way around, that she’s the one who needed a kick in the derriere.
“I was watching all these contestants lose so much weight in 10 weeks, and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t worked out once this entire time,'” says Winokur, 36.
She was in the best shape of her life last year on “Dancing With The Stars,” making it all the way to the semi-finals. But since then, she says, she and her husband have had a son via a surrogate and she fell off the exercise and healthy-eating wagon.
“I’d been hanging out at the craft services table eating Doritos. It was an obvious wake-up call.”
Q. Why did you sign on for this show?
A. This was a perfect fit for me because it’s an empowering show and a message I believe in. You’ll need Kleenex. This is not a funny show. You are truly watching people change their lives and I know exactly what they’re going through. They are not self-conscious. They want to dance and they want to wear revealing costumes. When I was on “Dancing With The Stars,” I wanted the sequins, the tan. I wanted to show my skin.
Q. You were a poster girl for women with curves?
A. I remember saying to the producers, “You’ve never had a girl that’s over a size 10. You’ve never had a size 12 or 14 on this show. You need to have someone who represents what your audience looks like.” I feel really strongly about that. And these contestants (on “Dance Your Ass Off”) are always telling me, “What you did on that show changed my life.”
Q. How did your body change?
A. I was on a real health kick before “Dancing With The Stars” and lost 45 pounds. During the show, I lost another 15. But we were in the dance studio 8-12 hours a day. After it was over, I gained back 25 pounds, immediately.
Q. What happened?
A. I completely lost myself when I had a child. I became low man on the totem pole, never having a minute for myself. So when we taped the finale to this show (in April), I saw what these people had accomplished in ten weeks and became totally re-inspired. I’ve lost 15 pounds. I’m never going to be 110. That’s never going to be me. But when I was on “Dancing With The Stars,” I was healthy, I was happy, and I was strong. That’s where I need to be.