Lamar Odom struggled to remember his ‘Dancing With the Stars’ routines because of memory problems stemming from his near-fatal overdose.
The former NBA star – who spent several weeks in hospital after collapsing in a brothel in October 2015 – and his professional partner Peta Murgatroyd were voted off the competition on Monday (07.10.19) and he admitted afterwards he’d struggled far more on the show than viewers may have realised.
He said: "I think from my accident. My cognitive memory … just memorizing the dance routine was difficult at times, but I felt like I got better every week. It’s so crazy because I felt like this was my best dance tonight."
Peta – who wept after being voted off – added: "You get to see like, a one-minute package before we dance every week, and so much work and hours go in behind it that people don’t really get to see. It’s emotional because I see him every day — I’m with him for at least four hours a day, and to know the work he’s put in behind it, I was just really super proud of him."
While the 39-year-old star would have liked to progress further in the competition, he’s keeping a positive attitude and focusing on his other work.
He told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: "I feel all right. I feel good. The sun will shine tomorrow. I’ll wake up, work out, move forward.
"It means a lot, especially when I see Peta crying, my sister here.
"I would [have] liked to move on, but since it didn’t happen, now I can just move on to other things in my life. Public speaking, telling people my story and I figure I can change lives doing that."
Guest judge Leah Remini praised Lamar for overcoming his struggles to dance on the show.
She said: "I don’t think people understand that Lamar is not a dancer, and on top of that he’s dealing with [an accident where he was] almost dying.
"It’s not easy to learn a dance. Because not only are you learning a new thing that you have never learned in your whole life, but you’re doing it live.
"I think he represents what the show is. The fact that he’s out there … and also, I think, he’s used to a game face. He’s not really used to showing his emotions. He’s also a man in sports, I just don’t know if they’re used to showing their emotions out there."
And fellow contestant Sailor Brinkley-Cook was also emotional about Lamar’s exit.
She said: "I felt like I was going to sob. I’ve been watching Lamar really give his all and put the work in and try and be the best. It made me so sad to see him go because I really wanted to see him improve even more."
Lamar Odom’s memory struggle
