J.R. Martinez Steps Up For 'Dancing With The Stars'

Soap fans are well aware of J.R.'s charisma. For the past three years, he's played retired soldier Bret Monroe on the daytime drama, All My Children. That role happens to hit close to home because like Bret, Martinez also toured in Iraq and nearly lost his life.

Back in 2003, a Humvee that J.R. was riding in unexpectedly hit a landmine. The violent explosion left Martinez' with severe burns on over 40 percent of his body.

    "I was trapped inside the vehicle for about 10 minutes, conscious and can literally see my life slipping away from me," he said when recounting the incident. "You know, my mother is my best friend and I kind of had the visual of my mother, and them handing her a flag and I thought to myself, that's not something I want to put my mother through."

Martinez' mom was obviously overjoyed that he pulled through and stayed by his side throughout his many hospital visits. Interestingly, it was during the time he was bedridden that J.R. began to contemplate an acting career.

Martinez said watching novelas inspired him and just a few short years later, he was on an "American novela" himself. And now with DWTS, J.R. is ready to take his fame to the next level. Not only that, he's hopeful that he can be an inspiration to the millions of viewers who tune in.

    "I just want people to take away that no matter through what war or battle that you are fighting, that through positive thinking, through a positive attitude you can overcome," he said. "I think all of us up here are going to prove that to the 40 million people that watch this show that we are going to push ourselves to go beyond what were thought possible.”

Source Michael Lopez

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