Eight years after surviving an explosion as a teenage soldier in Iraq, Army corporal J.R. Martinez can’t stop smiling as he captures the hearts of millions on Dancing With The Stars.
Although his extensive facial scars are a reminder of the near-death bombing in 2003, he long ago learned how to handle those who are taken aback by his appearance.
He breaks the ice with a heavy dose of his infectious smile and optimistic personality.
“Within 30 seconds of meeting him” says his girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones, “people fall in love.”
WATCH the interview below with JR on ELLEN… or READ the story in Star Pulse
How could you not fall in love with him. His smile is beautiful, his eyes shine but he proves to me all over again that it is what is inside of us that counts, and I can tell he’s got a golden inside in his spirit. He’s a shining example of how to live on after what he went through.