Alec Mazo and Kelly Monaco

Kelly Monaco Biography:

Model and actress Kelly Monaco was born on May 23, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up with four siblings, two of who were older and two of who were younger. Monaco showed a deep interest for sports at an early age, and while she was a student at a local community college, she spent some years working as a lifeguard. She gave up her lifeguard duties when she discovered the world of modeling, and shortly thereafter, headed to Los Angeles in the hopes of becoming a famous actress. After years of financial troubles, Monaco finally got her big break in 1999. She was given a title role on the popular soap, Port Charles, where she earned a Daytime Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Her second nomination was for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and it was for her work on another soap opera, General Hospital. Prior to her appearance on these shows, Monaco was named Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Month on April 1997. She has also graced the covers of FHM and Maxim Magazine.

When Monaco first started out on the ABC reality series, Dancing with the Stars, her dancing skills often lacked the grace that the other couples on the show possessed. However, she worked hard with her partner, Alec Mazo, and her improvement did not escape the attention of the judges and the voting public and ultimately, Monaco became the first very winner of the competition.

(Photo courtesy of ABC)