Dancing with the Stars contestant and tsunami survivor Petra Nemcova talks with Life and Style about her dancing experience so far. After wowing the judges Monday night when she danced to “You Raise Me Up,”, the model turned activist is pushing through the pain.

But with her physical injuries (from the tsunami)—a pelvis broken in four places and severe internal injuries—it’s a miracle that she even walked again. “It’s mind-blowing and fascinating how much you have to push yourself to actually be able to do one step,” Petra tells Life & Style. Because of her injuries, “I don’t have very good balance, my back is arched — which is bad because a dancer is supposed to be straight — and my pelvis turns in.” But incredibly, seven years later, Petra is up on her feet and moving beautifully on this season’s Dancing With the Stars. Still, she says, “I’m just nervous about the physical challenges.”

The Czech beauty, who lost her fiancé, Simon Atlee, in the 2004 tsunami, is now raising money for her Happy Hearts Fund, which helps children in the wake of disasters. And Petra is determined to keep dancing to raise awareness. “I am now like, If there is a problem, it will get fixed — I will just keep on going,” says Petra.


Photo credit: ABC