Kym Johnson (born 4 August 1976) is an Australian former professional ballroom dancer, model, and television celebrity. She lives in Sydney NSW, Australia but is currently based in America for Dancing with the Stars. Johnson began dancing at the age of two. She began ballroom dancing at 15 years old. In 1998, she and her partner, Lithuanian Tomas Atkocevicius, placed second at the Australian Dancesport Championships in the Open Amateur Modern Ballroom. They also were finalists as the U.K. Ballroom Championships at Blackpool. She retired from competitive ballroom dance in 2001. Kym Johnson became a celebrity after appearing on Dancing with the Stars, a televised ballroom dance competition. She appeared on Seasons 1-3 of Dancing with the Stars in Australia in 2004 and 2005. In early 2006, she appeared on the Australian program Celebrity Survivor on behalf of the Merry Makers. Kym returned to the ballroom for Season 8, and she was paired with actor David Alan Grier. They were eliminated in the fifth week of competition on April 7, 2009. For Season 9, Kym is paired with Donny Osmond.