She a three-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast.
And now, with her win Wednesday night, Gabby Douglas can boast at being the first-ever winner of the Fox competition show, The Masked Dancer.
Douglas talks about whether her gymnastics background helped her in the dance competition, and recalls her frightening fall while practicing an aerial stunt in an interview set to air on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday, February 18.
Getting real: Gabby Douglas, 25, talked about whether her gymnastic background helped her win season one of The Masked Dancer
Off the top of the interview, Douglas revealed the stark differences between gymnastics and dancing.
‘With what I do [gymnastics], I’m used to doing static poses, but with dancing it’s more emotion, more feeling, more movement and footwork,’ she said while using her arms and hands as props.
After talking about the chilly, wintery conditions in Texas, DeGeneres showed obvious concern for her well-being when she asked about her rehearsal fall.
‘I think it was at least eight to 10 feet in the air. And that was my very first time ever doing aerial work, which was super fun,’ the 25-year-old explained.
‘My left shoulder got too much outside of the ring and that’s why I fell. But honestly I was so fortunate and grateful to have the Cotton Candy full get-up on because she softened fall,’ she added with a smile and a laugh.
During her remote appearance on The Elle DeGeneres Show, Douglas talked about her frightening fall from about 10 feet high during a rehearsal
Softened the blow: The Olympic champion shared how she was ‘fortunate and grateful to have the Cotton Candy full get-up on because she softened fall’
The host couldn’t resist inserting some humor to her near-harrowing accident.
‘Maybe we should wear that [Cotton Candy outfit] when we ride bikes and stuff,’ Ellen joked, before turning more serious when she asked Douglas why she laid on ground silently for about two minutes as people inquired about her well-being.
It turns out Douglas didn’t respond immediately because she was checking to see if she still had all of her teeth.
‘I was checking each and every tooth to see if it was still there. I was like “no please no chips or anything.” So I’m checking my teeth and everyone’s like “Cotton Candy speak to us — are you in any pain?”‘
On the floor with the crew standing over her, Douglas finally got up after she realized she did in fact have all of her teeth.
‘And they’re like, call the ambulance, call the ambulance. So I said maybe I should get up and tell them that I am fine. So I get up and I’m like: let’s go again,’ she added.
Tense moments: While talking about the rehearsal accident, Douglas revealed that she laid silently on floor for almost two minutes as people asked her if she was in pain
Tooth check: Douglas said she laid silently on floor after the fall because she was checking to see if she still had all of her teeth in her mouth
Showing her comedic timing, DeGeneres then asked Douglas if she flosses everyday, which she did confirm.
The host also told Douglas that UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis shared how she was a big fan of Douglas’s during a recently appearance on the Ellen Show. She then asked how it felt to have so many young people looking up to her due to her success.
‘Honestly, I love Nia. I’m so grateful to have this platform where I get to inspire millions around the world, and it’s such a huge responsibility. But at the same time it feels so surreal, and I’m still realizing the impact that I’ve made,’ she said with obvious humility.
‘But honestly if I can use my story or my words, or something that I have in my hand to encourage other people, I’m al for it.’
To claim the Diamond Mask trophy, Douglas beat out Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who finished as runner-up competing as the Sloth and third-place finisher Mackenzie Ziegler, who performed as Tulip.
Inaugural winner: Douglas, 25, was declared the winner of the first season of The Masked Dancer on Wednesday night
Stiff masked competition: To claim the Diamond Mask trophy, Douglas beat out Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Mackenzie Ziegler