Dancing With the Stars: Cheryl Burke talks partner Ryan Lochte

Dancing With the Stars is all about giving second chances.

That’s why pro Cheryl Burke — who is returning to the show after a nearly two-year absence — thinks Ryan Lochte made a great decision to join the competition when it returns tonight on ABC.

“He is actually so pleasant to work with,” says Burke of Lochte, with whom she is paired for season 23. “It’s so funny because I was expecting the worst of course. But Ryan is so delightful. I have always said I love working with athletes. He’s always on time if not 30 minutes early warming up. He’s dedicated. He wants to be able to really go far in this competition. Right now he’s going through a rough patch in his life and I think there’s nothing better than for him to do Dancing With the Stars. Dancing With the Stars is all about giving people second chances and it’s all about redemption. I really hope America can give Ryan a second chance because I do think he truly does deserve it.”

Burke recognizes that many people weren’t in favor of ABC giving Lochte a spot in the show after the swimmer claimed he was threatened and robbed at gunpoint in Rio this summer. The International Olympic Committee suspended Lochte for 10 months and forced him to give up $100,000 in bonuses. He will miss the 2017 world swimming championships.

When Burke decided to return to the show after a three-season absence, she says the producers promised to give her the “perfect partner.”

“I’ve been very close to the executives since I was 21, so I was like, ‘You guys, please, I really want to be able to come back and just enjoy my time here,'” recalls Burke. “They know my personality very well and said, ‘If anyone can dance with this guy, it’s you.’ I didn’t know who it was, I had no idea, so I said okay. I only decided to do this show maybe days before the announcement.”

Dancing With the Stars returns tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.