Chrishell Stause dedicates 'DWTS' performance to late parents: 'I miss them every day'
Chrishell Stause's latest performance on "Dancing With the Stars" had a very special meaning.
The "Selling Sunset" star, 39, dedicated her contemporary routine on Monday night to her late parents. Her mother died from cancer in July and her dad passed away in 2019, also from cancer.
Stause and her pro partner, Gleb Savchenko, danced to "Stars" by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.
"It's such a beautiful song. I'm so emotionally connected to it. It's one of the songs that I listened to on repeat when I was dealing with the loss of my parents," she told Savchenko during the episode.
She also talked about how her mom would have loved to see her on "Dancing With the Stars."
"Some of my best memories are with my mom, dancing with her in the living room," she said. "It makes me a little sad because I would've loved to have tried to teach my mom a little cha-cha or something. She would've loved it."
She added that she still feels her parents with her, cheering her on.
"Right before I dance, I really feel her call me, encourage me. That has been the most special thing that I will take away from this show. I know that my parents are with me."
She and Savchenko scored 24/30 points for their powerful routine.
"This week is a big one for us," Savchenko wrote on Instagram before Monday's performance. "We're dedicating our Contemporary to @chrishell.stause's late mother and I'm so appreciative that I get to be the one telling your story with you. Thank you for trusting me and working with me to create a beautiful tribute. I hope I've made you proud and even more, I hope we make your mom proud."
Stause replied in the comments that she would definitely "need a makeup touchup" after their emotional tribute.
"This is gonna be a mess," she wrote. "Thank you so much. It's a beautiful dance."
The "Selling Sunset" real estate agent and soap star also used her dance as an opportunity to raise awareness about the organization Stand Up to Cancer.
"I'm proud to support @SU2C to help further their mission of turning every cancer patient into a long-term survivor," she wrote on Instagram, alongside a throwback photo of her and her parents. "Tonight is for them 🖤 Thank you to every one of you who have shared stories and my heart goes out to every family affected by cancer. I am so inspired by your stories of strength and survival. Carrying you all with me tonight."
Stause has had a difficult year. She recently split from her husband, "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley. According to Stause, she only found out Hartley had filed for divorce shortly before the news went public. (Reached by TODAY in August, Hartley's team declined to comment on this claim.)
In a recent Instagram post, Stause wrote about how dancing is giving her an outlet to process some of her painful emotions.
"Turning my pain from losing my parents into something beautiful and making them proud is the ultimate goal," she wrote. "I miss them every day."
