Ariana Madix has “Love” in her heart and her late father on her mind as she prepares for her third week in Dancing with the stars ballroom on Tuesday night.
As part of Motown Week, Vanderpump Rules star and her partner Pasha Pashkov will perform a quickstep to “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes.
“I’m really excited for my dad this week,” she tells PEOPLE of memories of her father, James Madix, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Aug. 15, 2013.
“I grew up listening to Motown music because it was one of my dad’s favorite songs,” he explains Individual AF cocktails author, 39. “I’m really looking forward to this week, especially being able to celebrate my dad even though he can’t watch the show or be here. I hope I can honor him with that dance.”
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arianamadix/Instagram
She posted a similar sentiment on her Instagram Story on Tuesday, sharing a photo of the baby with her father and mother, Tanya, with the caption: “Tonight’s dance is dedicated to my dad. Times like this I really wish he could be here, but I’m dancing for him tonight.” Wherever you are.”
See which “Vanderpump Rules” stars joined Ariana Madix’s new man for her first spin on DWTS
Tuesday’s performance also falls very close to the one-year anniversary of the loss of her grandmother Bonnie, who died last September, and her beloved dog Charlotte, who died on August 2, 2022.
The Chihuahua mix, the Bravo star joked DWTS should have a “Charlotte themed week.”
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ABC/Christopher Willard
Ariana enjoyed a solid first two weeks on ABC’s dance competition, scoring 21 out of 30 for her debut tango to Hailee Steinfeld’s “Love Myself” and 20 out of 30 last week for her samba to Bad Bunny’s “Me Porto” and Chencha Corleone bonito.”
Ariana Madix Says She Hopes ‘VPR’ ‘My Girls’ Will ‘Come and Support’ Her on ‘DWTS’
However, during the season 32 premiere, the reality star had another, less pleasant man in mind when she “closed the book on the drama of my life.”
As Bravo fans know, the Something About Her co-owner was stunned at the beginning of March when she revealed she was VPR Costar and ex of nine years Tom Sandoval, 41, was secretly engaged in a months-long affair with their co-star Rachel “Raquel” Leviss, 29. The affair ended Fancy AF cocktails nine years of co-author relationship and shocked the world of reality TV.
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ABC/Eric McCandless
Ariana Madix is ’so strong’ after Tom Sandoval’s split: ‘She just has this crazy feeling of empowerment’
When Ariana hit the ballroom on Sept. 26 — nearly seven months after Scandoval broke — she reinvented her famous “revenge dress” from VPRreunion in season 10 to prove that “scandal doesn’t define me.”
She received praise from judge Derek Hough, 38, who told her after the routine: “Ariana, that was fantastic! Force. That was killer.”
After judge Bruno Tonioli, 67, called her a “sex goddess” for her undulating samba in week two, Ariana said she felt “a lot more confident” since joining DWTS and vowed to take the referees’ feedback into account, “put it to work and get better” week by week.
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Dancing with the stars airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET/5pm PT on ABC and Disney+.
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