The last time someone heard Tonya Harding’s name in a relevant spotlight was just before the winter Olympics in 1994.
She endured a wicked ice skating feud with fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan that ended in controversy, injury, and a memory that people couldn’t possibly forget. It was 24 years ago when saying “take a knee” meant literally taking the knee as Kerrigan suffered knee injuries from an attack that Harding later admitted, in a sketchy confession, that she was possibly aware of.
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Fast forward to 2018, and Harding’s name strikes again, this time taking a roster spot on "Dancing With the Stars: Athletes" (DWTSA), which is their first-ever “all athletes” rendition of the fan favorite prime-time fiesta. The audience and participants will have all eyes on Harding as she immediately assumes the role of the villain.
Viewers might question this decision with a "Why, why, why?" like Kerrigan once begged, but Harding's hopes are to make her son proud.
The former skater stated to ABC, “Is it a challenge from the Lord to see how far I can be pushed until I break and become nothing? You can’t push me that far anymore, because I’ve been nothing and I’ve been nothing several times…But it’s my faith in myself and in my father that comes back to me and makes me get back up off my butt and be something worth being proud of. I always wanted my daddy to be proud. And now, I want my son to be proud.”
The 47-year-old Harding is set to join several Olympic athletes – figure skater Adam Rippon, softball player Jenny Finch and snowboarder Jamie Anderson.
The full show’s cast will be released this Friday on Good Morning America. DWTSA season premiere airs Monday, April 30, at 8 p.m.