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Brooke Burke Charvet cheers on high-scoring dancers and consoles eliminated couples as a cohost on Dancing With the Stars, a post she’s held since 2010 after winning her own mirror-ball trophy.

As a committed mom to four school-aged kids (two from a previous marriage and two with current husband, actor David Charvet), Charvet, 41, has partnered with Brita and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to promote the Brita Bottle for Kids, a refillable container that filters tap water as kids drink from it. “My kids love it because it's a new gadget,” she says. “You're not spending a fortune on bottled water, and we're a water family, so I think that's an important message.”

The former Dancing champ talked to Parade.com about being a working mom, her dream DWTS contestant, and whether she’ll ever return for a second mirror-ball trophy.

On the difference between the ‘all-stars’ season and a regular season of DWTS.
"It's very intense. It's very competitive. There's nothing casual about it. It's still fun, and I hope no one loses sight of that because I think enjoying yourself and having fun are so important on a show like ours. But it is incredibly intense because everyone is so good."

On Bristol Palin’s elimination.
"It was more sad than surprising, but a season like the all-stars is so competitive. I'm so proud of her for what she's accomplished, and I really think she's a doll. I'm a Bristol fan, but I think America voted for the best dancers that night, and I think America is really rooting for the most qualified dancers this season."

On the inevitable drama.
"If there were 30 more minutes, we'd have a whole reality show going on in the skybox. It's a blast. The stuff that people never see are my favorite parts. It's the fear, the rehearsing up until the last second, the wardrobe malfunctions, the contestants' reactions to each other. It's the fear of how competitive it is when you're waiting to go and you just saw somebody do a nearly perfect dance. There's so much action on every show."

On her dream celebrity contestant.
"I'd love to see Suzanne Somers on Dancing With the Stars!"

On whether she’ll dance again.
"I'm glad I'm not competing against this cast. I'm happy where I am."

On finding balance between her professional and personal life.
"It's challenging. It's a little manic. But the good news is that I love what I do, and I love being a mom. I count on my family to kind of raise each other. My biggest challenge this year is that my kids are in different schoolss and they're all playing sports in different places at the same time, which is insane. So it's all about getting organized, pitching and catching with my husband, and juggling schedules and being able to ask to help and finding people I can count on to help. Physically, I don't know how our parents did it. It's hard these days, and geographically, it's impossible to be one parent schlepping four kids from place to place."

On her advice to other working moms.
"If you're a working mom, you definitely have help, and I think you have to find the right people who make sense for your family, who are good role models, and who you can call on when you can't be there. I also don't schedule a lot of social commitments in the evenings so we can hold family dinners. If I've had a long day, I try to be home at night. If I started at 6 a.m., I'll be done in time to pick my kids up from school. My husband and I take turns with that. It's a community effort."

On getting her kids to be healthy.
"As a parent, it's all about giving them healthy options, and stocking good stuff in your house. I don't buy a lot of junk, but they get to have dessert and treats sometimes. You never know what they're doing when they're not at home, but I think it's about leading by example."

Read our weekly Dancing With the Stars recaps!


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