Samantha Harris is ready to return to her Dancing with the Stars' co-hosting duties beginning with tonight's performance episode broadcast -- however considering she welcomed her first child less than a month ago, she's anticipating a slow transition.
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"I don't want to rush myself physically," said Harris in People's October 22 issue. "We're pretty much there for 12 hours on show days. I want to make sure I'm in the spirit of things."
Harris and her husband Michael Hess welcomed Josselyn Sydney Hess on September 23, slightly more than 24 hours before Dancing with the Stars' fifth season premiered on ABC. The 33-year-old had announced she was pregnant with her first child during a fourth-season broadcast and said she was due in early October, originally planning to be there for the beginning of the season before taking a short break for maternity leave.
But in the midst of teaching her replacement -- Dancing with the Stars second-season champ Drew Lachey -- on how to co-host alongside Tom Bergeron, Harris learned Josselyn was arriving two weeks early.
"Josselyn told us who was the boss," Harris told People. "[She said] I'm No. 1 in your life and I'm going to tell you that right now."
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While Dancing with the Stars has continued without her, Harris said she's been happy spending time with Josselyn at home in Los Angeles .
"She's smothered in kisses pretty much 24 hours a day. She's just a little lovebug," Harris told People. "It's so cute when you kiss her on the cheek and she turns in the direction of where you kiss her, then she smiles. I can't drink in enough of her."
Harris added that her husband has assured the time she's spent with Josselyn while away from Dancing with the Stars is full of quality mother-daughter bonding.
"I didn't change a diaper for five days. He wins the prize for husband of the year," she told People. "I've been singing her, 'Sunrise, Sunset,' which my dad used to sing to me. There's a line in it that says, 'Wasn't it yesterday when they were small.' I'm going to be singing this probably as long as I live."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio