James Denton Says He's 'Still Paying' for Dancing With the Stars in France: 'My knees are just destroyed'

James Denton's stint on France's version of Dancing with the Stars was profitable, but not without some long-term aches and pains.

During a Christmas Con panel chaired by PEOPLE's Breanne L. Heldman, the Good Witch star, 61, discussed competing in the reality show with dancing partner Candice Pascal this year.

On December 14, he informed a crowd in Edison, New Jersey, that he is "still paying" for his DWTS stint after preparing and competing "for almost four months."

"It was a huge adventure, but both of my knees are completely ruined. "I'm still trying to recover," he explained. "But it was really fun, and the people were really nice."

Denton also mentioned that he has previously been requested to go on DWTS.

"I would never have done this show since I am not a dancer. They've asked me to do Dancing with the Stars in France several times because Desperate Housewives was so popular there, but I've never even considered it," he remarked, referring to his role as Mike Delfino on the ABC series.

However, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May 2023 and the Screen Actors Guild followed in July, Denton said he changed his mind.

"They take care of you, and it was a big adventure," he said.


Nonetheless, Denton claimed the event terrified him because it was unlike anything he had ever done before. "It terrified me, and I knew then that I had to do it," he emphasised. "However, it was terrifying. Terrifying!"

The actor also mentioned that DWTS in France differs in that the live routines are longer than two minutes, as compared to the minute-long performances shown in the United States.

As for stage fright while performing, Denton said it isn't something he generally issues with — "because you just accept what happens" — but when he played live for the first time, "My heart was pounding so hard." I felt like a small child. It was exciting, but also terrifying."


Denton remained in the tournament for six weeks. "I didn't want to be out for the first week or two. "I wanted to stay for a while," he explained.

"In fact, when I got voted off, the host stated, 'I've never seen somebody more thrilled to get voted off,'" Denton recalled, " "The people that were left were so much better than I was, and I just survived because the fans were really nice and they kept me alive, I think."



"So if I stayed any longer, I would've felt guilty, because they were much better," he said of his competition.

"I learned some, but mainly it was just, 'Je suis désolé, mon français est nul' — 'I'm sorry, my French sucks,' " he said.

Denton, who does not speak French, learnt a specific phrase in France.