Leeza Gibbons Called My Mother

ABC/ADAM LARKEY

Leeza Gibbons is on the phone with my mother. "Make sure to watch and tell all your friends to vote for me," Gibbons says. "We need every vote we can get." 

This is my fault. When I told Gibbons that my mom is a big Dancing with the Stars fan, she insisted on calling.  

Who knew Dancing with the Stars contestants campaigned for votes?

Gibbons is one of 11 contestants in the latest season, and I met up with her and her dancing partner, Tony Dovolani, at a West Hollywood dance studio, where they were practicing their first number.  

When the new DWTS premieres on Monday night, Gibbons and Dovolani will have accumulated about three weeks of almost daily four-hour sessions. "They actually cut back the time from last year when they had six weeks," Gibbons says. "They said everybody got too good. I think what America really likes is the transformation."

A transformation that proved to be a bit painful for Gibbons. "There was a four-day period when my feet were really swelling, and I just had to make adjustments in not only my shoes, but I had to drink more water, soak in Epsom salts, and I started eating cucumbers, which, for whatever reason really helped." 

While Gibbons admits she's nervous about her Dancing adventure, she says she has a support group that includes former Dancing contestant Lisa Rinna, who suggested Pilates. "I'm getting much stronger," Gibbons says. "But I've pulled together a team of people. I have my life coach, my nutritionist, hair, makeup, wardrobe and of course, Tony."

So, why is Gibbons putting herself through all of this? Because her 17-year-old daughter, Lexi, urged her to do it. "She's the one who said, 'Especially now that you say you're fearless at 50—this is fearless!' " Gibbons says. "When she said that, I had nowhere to hide." 

And talk about not hiding. Another contestant is Heather Mills, estranged wife of Sir Paul McCartney. "If I had that going on in my  life, I could not have taken this on," Gibbons says. "It's hard enough with my kids, my work and everything being supportive and in sync. It would be really challenging to have that kind of cacophony in your life." 

Gibbons admits this isn't her first time putting on dancing shoes. She took tap in the fifth grade and later enrolled in a mother-daughter tap class with Lexi. "We actually had a recital at Fairfax High School [in Los Angeles]," she remembers. "The adults came on right after the little kids, but I did the wrong dance. I had one dance to do and I did the wrong one!"

Things will probably go a bit more smoothly on Monday, but no matter what happens, I'm sure she's got my mother's vote.