Jesse Metcalfe, actor and long-tim hunk, is one of the famous faces of this season's Dancing With the Stars. Rising to stardom thanks to the hit TV drama Desperate Housewives, Metcalfe has stayed in touch with co star Eva Longoria over the years.
On-screen, Longoria and Metcalfe had a hot and heavy romance. Their characters, Gabrielle Solis and John Rowland, respectively, carried on their secret affair for an entire season. The characters go through many difficulties throughout the height of their affair, including a car accident, raging streaks of jealousy, proposals, and confessions.
Throughout season one, Metcalfe was a regular. However, the finale of season one shows John confessing to Carlos, Gabrielle's husband, effectively ending their affair. After the first season, which started filming in 2004, Metcalfe only returned for appearances throughout the remaining seasons. His and Eva's character remain tied up emotionally but no longer have an affair. Their chemistry on and off-screen was apparent from day one, although Eva claims that she was never attracted to the sex-symbol! In a promo interview with USA Today from 2004, Longoria describes Metcalfe as, "a really innocent young kid who hasn't been tainted by the world. And I think that's very endearing to people who watch." As the years went by, the show, which had shot to worldwide fame, turned into a legacy as it came to an end in 2012.
According to Independent, years later, during an interview with The Sun, Eva reflected on her admiration and respect for Metcalfe, saying, "he has matured into this amazing man and amazing actor. I love him dearly and wish him all the best." Over the years, Longoria and Metcalfe continued to send each other love and public praise. Metcalfe recently paid tribute to his ex-costar Eva Longoria. He shared his support and admiration for her political and social activism. Longoria is an immigration activist and co-founder of the Latino Victory Fund. “I’m so impressed and proud of Eva for using her voice to the best of her ability. She gets behind a lot of amazing causes, and it’s just really impressive,” Metcalfe told ET Canada. Metcalfe's comment came in light of Longoria's moderating night one of the U.S. Democratic National Convention.
Longoria has also shown him public support since he donned his dancing shoes. During an interview with Woman's Day, when Eva was asked about her ex co-star's participation in the latest season of DWTS, she lit up at the mention of his name. "I've got to tell you, Jesse is so much fun. He's such a good guy, and I think audiences are gonna fall in love with who he really is," she says. "He's at his core a really good human. I love him very much." Metcalfe publicly thanked Longoria for her support and opened up about where their friendship is today. He recently told Hello! Magazine, "We don't stay in that close in contact but whenever we see each other it's like not a day has gone by since we've seen each other." The DWTS contestant goes on to express his admiration for her as an actress, woman, and mother, "I'm just so proud of the person that she's become and everything that she does on a social and political level, she's really grown as a person and a woman and she's just a role model, she's great."
Eva and Jesse's friendship is a light, and truly a pleasure to see in the world of Hollywood. They have been supportive of each other since day one, and do so openly and honestly. And, although it is physically and mentally challenging, Jesse admits he is loving being on the show. In season 29 of Dancing With The Stars, Metcalfe was partnered up with professional dancer Sharna Burgess. Of the DWTS experience, he said, "it's exceeded my expectations as far as it has been surprisingly rewarding week to week and also surprisingly challenging." He didn't take home the trophy this time, but he certainly had a great run.
Source: USA Today, Independent, ET Canada, Woman's Day, Hello! Magazine