By ,
Published December 03, 2016
Two Olympic gold medalists and an actor who played Selena Gomez’s younger brother on TV will compete for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy on this coming season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Team USA’s Ryan Lochte and Laurie Hernandez, who were both rumored to be joining the cast, confirmed they were putting down their medals and putting on their dancing shoes.
“This is amazing. (I’m) so excited to start dancing,” Hernandez, 16, said on “Good Morning America” after her reveal on Tuesday morning.
She will be dancing with Valentin Chmerkovskiy, who won the Mirror Ball with Rumer Willis in season 20.
Lochte, 33, who has been embattled in controversy following the Rio Summer Olympics, said it was “time to hang up my speedo and get on my dancing shoes.”
Lochte was charged by Brazilian police for filing a false robbery report after he allegedly falsely claimed that he was robbed at gunpoint while out with his friends in Rio. Lochte reiterated on Tuesday that he takes full responsibility for what happened and over-exaggerating the details of that night.
He didn't say whether he'll return to Brazil to face charges.
“I have a great team. They are dealing with (the legal aspects),” he said on GMA. “I am trying to get over this. The media has taken this to a whole new level.”
Lochte, who lost four endorsement deals following the scandal, said the past few weeks have been the lowest in his life.
“I want to move forward. I want the world to move forward,” he said.
The swimmer said he has offered to reimburse James Feigen for a nearly $11,000 fine his teammate paid to resolve his legal issues and leave the country.
Lochte agreed to be on season 23 of “Dancing with the Stars” before heading to the Olympics, he said. He will be dancing with retuning champion Cheryl Burke.
The third Latino in this year’s lineup is actor Jake T. Austin, known for his role as Gomez’s younger brother on Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” and most recently in the Jennifer Lopez-produced “The Fosters” on Freeform.
“I think I really want to surprise myself. I want to test myself to the truest of my ability,” he said in a clip for ABC. “And I want to surprise fans.”
Austin, who is of Puerto Rican, Argentinian and Spanish descent on his mother’s side, will dance with pro Jenna Johnson.
The other celebrities and their pro partners are:
Marilu Henner & Derek Hough
Amber Rose & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Vanilla Ice & Witney Carson
Calvin Johnson & Lindsay Arnold
Emma Slater & Rick Perry
Maureen McCormick & Artem Chigvintsev
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds & Allison Holker
James Hinchcliffe & Sharna Burgess
Terra Jolé & Sasha Farber
Jana Kramer & Gleb Savchenko
“Dancing with the Stars” season 23 premieres Monday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m.
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