Celebrity Chef Paul Deen is set to appear in 'Dancing With The Stars' season 21. (Photo : YouTube)
Paula Deen, the former queen of Food Network whose popularity later succumbed to a racism scandal, is set to appear in "Dancing With The Stars" season 21.
Deen, who have dropped 35 pounds in the past couple of years, declared that after the weight loss, she felt she was ready for such a challenge.
"But when I finally dropped the weight off I thought, 'Well, maybe I can do it,'" the 68-year-old told ABC's Good Morning America recently.
Deen, who is the owner of popular The Lady & Sons restaurant, came into limelight when she started appearing on Food Network's show "Ready, Set, Cook" and eventually landed her own show "Paula's Home Cooking" in 2002.
The show had a successful run with multiple spin-offs and sequels until Deen infamously admitted to using N-word in front of a female employee during a lawsuit in 2013. The network cancelled the contract and eventually she lost a bundle of other endorsements.
The Savannah-based chef later declared that she will launch her own channel very soon.
Deen is also the author of 14 bestselling cookbooks, including "It Ain't All About Cookin" and has twice appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Deen is returning to the showbusiness in the upcoming season of the dance reality show, where she will be partnered with popular ballroom dance champion Louis van Amstel, Daily Mail reported. The dance champ, who had partnered with "Fashion Police" former co-host Kelly Osbourne in the season 9, is returning to the show after a hiatus of five seasons.
The duo has already started their preparation for the upcoming season at Deen's house where she is also admittedly feeding Amstel pretty well. "Dancing With The Stars" will return on Sept. 14 at 8pm on ABC.
