‘DWTS’: Danielle Fishel Gets Emotional After Dedication Night with William Daniels (Exclusive)

Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov delivered all the “Boy Meets World” nostalgia on “Dancing with the Stars” Dedication Night, as they were joined by 98-year-old William Daniels aka Mr. Feeny! 

They spoke to “Extra’s” Sadie Murray after the show, as Danielle reflected on her days working with Daniels on “Boy Meets World.”

She recalled, “He was there as a two-time Emmy winner, you know, carrying a show kind of on his back, and he never once talked down to us. He just always treated us like we were a peer. And we found out years later that he had been a child actor. He never told us that. He said, ‘I didn't want you to think that you needed to ask me about what my experience was like… You were just, you were on your own journey and I was just there to help guide you.’”

Fishel also talked about what it meant to honor Daniels, saying, “It's also so nice to be able to show someone how important they are while they're still here in order to receive all of that.”

She told Sadie, “I know this was my dedication to Bill, but I really feel like I was representing the people like you who learned all of the lessons from him, who grew up with ‘Boy Meets World.’ It was about more than just me and Bill. It was a representation of an entire generation.”

Sadie asked Danielle about why she was crying after a commercial break on the show, and she explained that that she felt like she let Pasha down. The actress said, “I turned to him and I said, ‘I'm just, I'm so sorry. I feel like I could have... I feel like I could have done better.’ And so then I started crying.”

Danielle also got emotional as she reflected on how she assesses herself.

“Being proud of myself is something I actively work on. It doesn't come naturally to me. Being very hard on myself comes naturally to me, and that's benefited me in my life. Like, I can see the pros of that. You know, it makes me work hard… It's part of the reason I've had success. On the other hand, when I do something well, my next thought is like, ‘Okay, what's the next thing I have to do?’… ‘Dancing with the Stars’ has been such a gift for me. And I when I came into it, I said, ‘If I just take one thing out of it, I just want to be able to be proud and I also want to give myself grace and I'm learning both of them.”