Chaz Bono, the son of pop superstar Cher formerly known as Chastity Bono, impressed the judges on Monday's Dancing With The Stars, scoring 21 out of 30 for her Paso Doble routine. Chaz brought his mother, who was in the audience, to tears as he and partner Lacey Schwimmer danced to 'Gonna Fly Now', from the Rocky soundtrack.
Speaking about the boost of his mother's presence, Chaz told OnTheRedCarpet.com, "She was genuinely proud and it was great, it was so special.I mean, my whole family was there and they were all, you know, so excited, so proud, so rooting for me. Last week was a hard week for me and I felt like this week, for us, we came back real strong". Despite taking a battering in recent weeks, Bono received encouragement from the judges, with Bruno Tonioli noted, "In the true spirit of Rocky, no matter how many knocks you take, you keep coming back.You keep fighting and you keep getting stronger". Bono revealed he had spoken to his mother shortly after her performance, who told him she was extremely proud. Cher later tweeted, "Omg! I Was Crying ! Wasnt Expecting 2 B So Nervous ! Broke My Bracelet Clapping ! Im So Proud !! Chaz Was Great!".
Last week, Chaz danced in memory of her late father Sonny Bono but received the lowest score of the evening. Surprisingly, the favourite Kristin Cavallari was instead given the boot.