‘Shark Tank’: Barbara Corcoran Revealed a Personal Reason for Joining ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in Season 25
Barbara Corcoran traded her Shark Tank fins for stilettos in 2017 when she took a spin on Dancing With the Stars in 2017. Known for her sense of humor and fierce business prowess, Corcoran bravely took on the very public challenge for a specific reason that stemmed back to her childhood.
Barbara Corcoran appeared on season 25 of ‘DWTS’
Though she gave it her best shot, Corcoran was the first to be eliminated in Dancing With the Stars’ 25th season. Still, the real estate guru had a blast in the process.
“It was such an honor and probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever done in my whole life,” Corcoran shared, according to People in 2017. ”I should stick to real estate!”
Corcoran praised her partner and dance teacher, Keo Motsepe, for his patience and making the experience so enjoyable.
“I don’t really give a crap about money,” Corcoran said, as reported by Us Weekly. “I just kind of always made money by accident. But I have my eye on the ball. I just want to have fun. And my God, have I had fun with Keo! It’s been a gift from heaven, really.”
‘Shark Tank’ star was challenged by dancing due to dyslexia
Corcoran has been open about her history of dyslexia, which she struggled with since her youth. Dancing had been a challenge for the Shark Tank star over the years due to the disorder, and Corcoran saw DWTS as her opportunity to learn some steps.
“I’ve been dyslexic since childhood, and it gets in the way of learning to dance,” Corcoran explained. “It’s hard for me to learn sequencing, like dance steps. I signed up for Dancing With the Stars to see if I could get over it and finally learn to dance.”
The Shark Tank panelist gave Motsepe another shout out for helping her conquer her trepidation and taking the time she needed to get the steps down.
“Dyslexia is hard,” Corcoran remarked. “Of course, any learning difference is hard, but I was surprised how much it affected my inability to learn steps quickly. This gentleman here [Motsepe] is a saint. We had to do so much repetition. It’s kind of like learning to read all over again.”
Barbara Corcoran learned how to ‘bounce back up’ thanks to past challenges
Sharing some personal feelings of insecurity from her school days, the real estate guru got emotional talking about her dyslexia.
“I’m back at the bottom of class in second grade being the dunce,” Corcoran said, according to People. “I’ve been dyslexic my whole life. It definitely affects you. There’s always the stupid kid that made fun of [me]. I don’t want anybody to laugh.”
Never one to let challenges keep her down, Corcoran continues to place a priority on resilience and has plenty of experience when it comes to tenacity.
“The truth is it’s actually a good place for me to come from,” Corcoran told Motsepe during a rehearsal. “Everything good came because I knew how to bounce back up. Everything I’ve ever done in life has been to prove that I’m not stupid.”
Motsepe found Corcoran a joy to work with, saying “It was amazing… I had a good time in rehearsal. I never stopped laughing, that’s for sure. I was very humbled to dance with her. I enjoy every time I spend with her, so I’m grateful.”
