France’s version of Dancing with the Stars is adding a major international celebrity for its upcoming season. Fashion icon Jean Paul Gaultier won’t be soft-shoeing, foxtrotting or two-stepping, but he’ll be passing judgement on the bold-face names who do. The designer will be joining the judges’ panel for the first time when competitions series, which pairs celebs with professional dancers, returns.
The 68-year-old Gaultier first spoke about the new project in a profile published in The Guardian today. “Of course, this wasn’t a childhood dream, but it reminds me of my father who taught me to dance,” he revealed. “I love The Voice, too, but thankfully nobody asks me to sing.”
This isn’t Gaultier’s first foray into reality television. He co-hosted the campy U.K. series Eurotrash from 1993–1997. He’s dressed many Eurovision contestants and honed his judging skills as a member of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival jury. He also has a history of flirting with the Dancing with the Stars franchise—known as Strictly Come Dancing in the U.K. where it originated. As Dazed reminds us, Gaultier’s Spring/Summer 2014 runway show heavily referenced ballroom competitions, with models Coco Rocha and Karlie Kloss showing off their move for judges like Rossy de Palma. Relive the magic and mania below!
