Paula Abdul called Shawn Johnson a "sexy young lady," following her near-perfect mambo on Dancing with the Stars Monday night – and the athlete's partner Derek Hough could not agree more.
"My goal when I first got Shawn as a partner was to take her from a young girl, sweet and innocent, to a mature woman – sexy," Hough, 27, told reporters backstage after their performance. "And to get those comments from the judges … made me feel great."
As for Johnson, 20 – who says she "felt good" completing the hot number – she explains to PEOPLE why she kept things conservative on the show up until now.
"The first time around, being 17 and being younger, I was shy to everything that didn't have to do with gymnastics," she says. "I was like, 'There's no way you can get me to [dress sexy].' [Derek]'s been trying to get this out of me since the season started."
And from the way it sounds, this isn't the last people will see of Johnson's new side.
source: people.com