Sherri Shepherd & Val Chmerkoskiy On Why Their ‘Dancing’ Partnership Works

Val Chmerkovskiy is finding success with Sherri Shepherd as his partner on “Dancing with the Stars,” and he credits “The View” co-host’s contributions as being a factor in helping to keep them in the competition.

“She’s more than a student, she’s my friend and she’s my partner. I don’t treat it as, ‘she’s my student, I’m the teacher.’ We consult with one another,” he told Access Hollywood during rehearsal on Thursday. “I take care of the dance bit… and we kind of shoot ideas back and forth but I, I love her very much and we work well together.”

As for Sherri, she’s really enjoyed her time with Val and thinks dancing is much, much better than hitting the gym.

“I just think dance is so freeing and you know it, it helps my brain. I feel better after I do it,” she said. “I feel better dancing than I do going to the gym after I leave, because I feel like I’ve accomplished something and when you’re on a treadmill you don’t get to look at a cute guy. In dancing I do, so that is, that’s a big plus right there.”

“Nice,” Val said. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

And beyond her cute partner, Sherri said “Dancing” is helping her get in shape.

“I can tell that my body’s getting very toned, because it’s like doing a great form of Pilates,” she said. “I’m more focused on the fact that I’m getting healthier and I’ve never felt better in my life. I wake up with a lot of energy and I feel like I can play with my son without breathing hard, so it’s not so much a weight loss that’s getting to me, it’s just being healthy. I love, I love that feeling.”