Val Chmerkovskiy Gushes About ‘DWTS’ Partner Rumer Willis, Reveals How She Makes Him Feel

Val Chermkovskiy doesn’t need that special golden mirrorball trophy to feel like a success on Dancing with the Stars. During a recent interview, he revealed that he already feels like he won by being partnered up with Rumer Willis. How sweet is that?

Val Chermkovskiy quickly became one of his partner’s biggest fans after he first met her, but she impressed him even more Monday night after she bravely talked about her experience being bullied by the tabloids.

During the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, the celebrities performed dances that were inspired by their most memorable years, and Rumer Willis chose to relive a difficult time in her life. The daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis revealed that she struggled with being thrust in the spotlight during her teenage years. As Reuters reports, blogger Perez Hilton was partially to blame for her pain — he bullied poor girl by making fun of her looks and calling her names like “Potato Head.” However, Rumer’s sisters, Tallulah and Scout, made sure that she didn’t let the bullies get the best of her.

Now, Rumer has grown up to be a beautiful and strong young woman, and Val Chmerkovskiy told E! News that he thinks that his Dancing with the Stars partner is absolutely “awesome.”

“Obviously I’m familiar with her parents and the opportunity to get to know her and meet her, honestly I feel like I already won the season because of that. She’s awesome; she’s a great friend. Just on so many other levels besides the dance floor, I think she’s such an incredible person. I’m glad that America gets to see that.”

Rumer isn’t just impressing Val Chmerkovskiy with her great personality and strong work ethic — she’s also teaching her pro partner a few new dance moves. As the Inquisitr previously reported, she taught Val one of Demi Moore’s sexy dances from the movie Striptease.

Val Chmerkovskiy and Rumer Willis’ waltzed to third place on Monday night with their score of 35 out of 40. In her Parade blog, judge Carrie Ann Inaba wrote that their contemporary waltz “was enthralling, exciting and passion-filled performance,” and she commended Rumer for matching Val’s intensity. You can check out their dance below.

Val Chmerkovskiy’s chiseled jaw and washboard abs make DWTS fans swoon now, but the sexy star actually knows what it’s like to bullied, too. During an interview with Cleveland, Val said that it was “very taboo for young men to dance” whenever he was growing up. However, he never let the bullies bother him because he thought that their cruel taunts made no sense at all.

“I never understood being made fun of by a football player in tights and a jockstrap while I was doing a rumba with a beautiful lady.”

Rumer Willis isn’t the only lovely lady Val Chmerkovskiy will be dancing with this year — he’ll get to show those football players what they’re missing when he tangos with a bevvy of beautiful babes during the Dancing with the Stars summer tour. Other dancers joining the show include Witney Carson, Peta Murgatroyd, Emma Slater, Sasha Farber, Keo Motsepe, and Artem Chigvintsev.

Come see us on tour this summer! @DancingABC #DWTSTour http://t.co/CKXlnK6EVA pic.twitter.com/nMM24rt5EP

— Valentin (@iamValC) April 7, 2015

Next Monday is Disney week on Dancing with the Stars, so viewers can look forward to seeing which popular House of Mouse characters Val Chmerkovskiy and Rumer Willis decided to dress up as. Which beloved Disney characters do you think they should channel?

[Image credit: Val Chmerkovskiy/Instagram]