IRVING, Texas - Six years after showing quick feet on the field could translate to moves on the dance floor, former Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith will return to defend his crown on Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, premiering Monday.
The three-time Super Bowl champion and all-time leading rusher will again be paired with Cheryl Burke, who helped Smith win the competition in 2006.
"Six years later, I'm not any more flexible than I was then," Smith said. "I've lost some flexibility, but I'm not making excuses. I'm still going to go out and work hard and have fun. Cheryl and I are going to give it our best shot and earn the right to earn the votes of the people. If we can do those things, we feel like we'll be OK."
Smith said Tuesday he's trained for four or five hours a day the last three weeks to put himself in position to repeat.
"It's a lot of work, a lot of time commitment," Smith said. "That's the problem – the time commitment that it requires to develop the skillset that you need to go out every week and perform. But it's fun. It's fun. It's like anything else in life – you always have to work hard at it."
Smith will be competing against 12 other all-star cast members, including Kirstie Alley, Pamela Anderson, Helio Castroneves and Shawn Johnson. The show airs every Monday and Tuesday and will conclude on Nov. 27.
*Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars *will be another program Smith can add to his television and film resume, which includes appearances on *How I Met Your Mother *and *Little Giants. *He joked that unless he gets to perform in *The Avengers, Batman, Hunger Games *or a Jason Bourne movie, he's not looking to expand his acting career.
"For the most part, I'm focusing on my family, my construction company here in Dallas and my real estate company, as well," Smith said.
