Giselle Fernandez Finds Her Hidden Talent

Jan. 23, 2006 — -- Journalist and filmmaker Giselle Fernandez has dancing in her blood. Her father, Jose, was a flamenco dancer, but those genetics were not enough to keep her on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." On Friday, the judges eliminated Fernandez and her partner, Jonathan Roberts, in the third round.

"Dancing With the Stars" is a competition in which a celebrity with little or no dance training is paired with a professional dancer. The couples compete each week, and each week one pair is eliminated according to audience votes. Three judges critique the couples. So far, Tatum O'Neal and her partner, and ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne and his partner have been voted off.

Before appearing on the show, Fernandez, who was born in Mexico and grew up in California, hosted a morning news show for KATL-TV in Los Angeles. She's also worked for NBC, CBS and "Access Hollywood," and won five Emmys throughout her career.

"When you're in the news business, you're never allowed to do anything sexy," she said. "But this was a chance to put on a dance. It's the most exposure I've ever had in my career."

Before her agent called her to discuss "Dancing With the Stars," Fernandez, 44, was considering a project on health care in the Mexican community for HBO. She had just finished a documentary about a Mexican boy at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital who was dying of liver cancer. When she got the call from her agent, she decided to head in a different direction. She said she was eager to explore her dance roots.

"I think I ice skated for a year. I had no dance training at all," she said. "I've always been a runner, been athletic, but I grew up being infused with beautiful lines. I never did tap or jazz. I always tried to fake it and bake it."

The best part of being on the show, Fernandez said, was proving to herself that she could still be adventurous and daring.

"Any woman -- there are no desperate housewives out there -- we can do anything at any age," she said, while bidding the show farewell on her last night. "Everything is possible. I'm proof of it. Go for it. Be bold."