Dancing's Tom DeLay: He's No Gilles Marini, But...

Conservative politico gets into dance-floor shape by dropping 20 pounds

It's not every day I get to talk to Tom DeLay about his waistline.

But I did just that when the former Republican Congressman called me from Sugar Land, Texas, where he and Cheryl Burke have been rehearsing for his upcoming spin on season nine of Dancing With the Stars.

The 62-year-old ultraconservative politico said he's ready for some of the show's signature costumes.

"I lost 20 pounds, so I can wear the tight pants," DeLay boasted. "I've known I was going to do Dancing With the Stars for three months now, so the moment I agreed to do it, I started working out really hard and heavy."

However, he knows he can't exactly compete with Burke's last partner, Gilles Marini…

"I'm working on the six-pack, but they said if I need one, they'd put one on me," Delay said. "The makeup girls will give me one!"

While he has no plans to go shirtless, he said he's willing to be spray-tanned. "I was already up for them coloring my bald spot," he laughed.

Unfortunately, a little hair loss isn't his only worry come waltzing time. Just days after his training with Burke began, he was off to see a doctor.

"They put me in Latin shoes with high heels, and my toes almost fell off the first week," Delay explained. "So I went to a podiatrist, and I got a little problem with my feet. A cortisone shot cured me up."

Call me crazy, but I am looking forward to seeing DeLay and Burke perform. Their first dance is a cha-cha.

"It's sort of like a father and daughter kind of thing," DeLay said about dancing with Burke. "Well, make that grandfather. I am 37 years older than she is. It's like a grandfather and granddaughter relationship. It's really neat."

What does Cheryl think of her new partner? Come back here tomorrow to find out.