It was a pretty big love-fest on the Dancing With the Stars ballroom floor after J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff‘s season 13 victory — even by the show’s high standards for flattery and group hugs.
After weathering the barrage of affection from their fallen competitors, the duo met with reporters, where J.R. made one thing clear: the win isn’t just his.
PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 13: Rehearsals
“It’s no secret. She’s an amazing dancer, and she’s obviously very beautiful,” he said, trophy in one arm, Karina in the other. “But I’m here to say she is one hundred million times as beautiful on the inside. She’s really is an amazing person. I’m just so grateful that I was able to be part of the journey to help get her first mirrorball trophy. She deserves it. She should be in the elite category of people who’ve won on this show.”
And Karina seems just as happy to get her first win in 10 seasons with J.R.. She says she wasn’t expecting a win, but she does have a spot to showcase the trophy in her studio.
“There is another trophy there from [my] competitive era,” she said, “but I’m just going to remove that one and put this one up because it’s so much better.”
PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 13: Cast Portraits
The win hardly means that Karina is ready to give up on the show, though. Despite many pros seemingly ready to consider their next move and four new players added to the roster in season 13, Karina says she wouldn’t hesitate to sign up for another round.
“If they’ll have me, I’d love to be back,” she said. “It’s three months of hard work and emotions, but at the end of the day, you create something that you’ll always go back to and remember and cherish forever.”
As for remembering their time together, Karina and J.R. won’t have a hard time. The two are actually neighbors, and J.R. says he’s still going to hit her up for the occasional dance break.
