Make the cha-cha great again? Marla Maples is prepping to compete on Dancing With the Stars‘ season 22, and she admits in Us Weekly’s exclusive sneak peek that it’s nice to earn media attention for her own projects instead of just fielding questions about ex-husband Donald Trump.
The actress and radio host, 52, married the current GOP presidential front-runner, 69, in 1993 before their divorce in 1999. (They are parents of daughter Tiffany, 22.) She points out that Trump’s successful but hugely polarizing campaign for the Republican nomination has had a significant impact on her life too.
“It’s been a crazy six months for me,” Maples, who is partnered with dance pro Tony Dovolani, says in a clip from the ABC series’ premiere on Monday, March 21. “I’ve had people constantly coming to me, wanting my opinion about the presidential race, and I’ve maintained a lot of privacy. But now that I’m stepping out and [going to] be a part of Dancing With the Stars, it’s intensified even more.”
She says she relates to anyone who is trying to establish a career while juggling a family and other time demands.
“That’s what my life has been like, and Dancing With the Stars has given me an opportunity to really be seen in my own light,” Maples continues. “Now balance that with the father of my child being the most famous person, probably, in the world right now — that’s always showing up in my world.”
Watch her practice her dance moves in the video above.
Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC on Monday, March 21, at 8 p.m. ET.