Jennifer Grey Breaks Down Over Patrick Swayze on “Dancing”

Jennifer Grey not only dominated the competition Monday night in the "Dancing With the Stars" premiere with her dancing skills. She also easily captured the night's drama with her tears for her deceased "Dirty Dancing" co-star Patrick Swayze.

Grey broke down into tears during the filmed rehearsals for her Viennese waltz to the Otis Redding classic, "These Arms Are Mine," the soulful song featured in "Dirty Dancing."

Grey went from touched from the song selection to suddenly overcome with emotion and running out of the rehearsal room.

"It really took me back almost like in a time capsule," she said in the voiceover afterwards, which was placed over images of her sobbing. "I was with Patrick. I just missed him."

Grey said it was the image of her dance partner Dereck Hough which prompted the tears.

"He was like you, he was young and gorgeous. And now he's just gone," she told Hough of Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer after a prolonged struggle on Sept. 15, 2009.

Grey managed to keep it together for the dance on Monday night, bringing a standing ovation from the crowd, and tears from judge Carrie Ann Inaba (who called the moment "profound").

"I know someone up there is going to be very, very proud of you," judge Bruno Tonioli told her before she received the top scores of the night -- a 24 out of 30.

Cynics might have felt it was overplayed. Further, Swayze wrote in his autobiography that he and Grey did not get along terribly well during the filming of the movie.

But it was powerful television and will no doubt solidify her "Dirty Dancing" base for the competition.

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