Valerie Harper, Amber Riley Set for New Season of DANCING WITH THE STARS?

TMZ reports that Valerie Harper, who revealed in March that she has terminal brain cancer, will be among the contestants when the new season of ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS begins.

The 74-year-old has been diagnosed with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare form of cancer in which cancer cells spread into the membrane surrounding the brain. Despite the fact that doctors had only given her three months to live, she has defied the odds and perservered despite the obstacles.

The site reports that Harper and her partner Tristan have began rehearsals two days ago and that she's "surprisingly good" and is "completely self-sufficient and doesn't need any special assistance."

TMZ also reports that Leah Remini Snooki, Elizabeth Berkley, GLEE's Amber Riley, Christina Milian, and Keyshawn Johnson will also be among the celebrity roster for the new season.

The new cast of "Dancing with the Stars" will be officially revealed live, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 exclusively on "Good Morning America" (7:00-9:00 a.m., ET).

Harper is a four-time Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee who has appeared on Broadway in productions of King Lear, Something Different, Metamorphosis, and the Tony award winning Story Theatre. She was nominated for a Tony award for her recent role in Looped.

She began her TV career on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," for which she received two Golden Globe nominations and won three Emmy Awards as Rhoda Morgenstern. She was again nominated for three Golden Globe awards and won an Emmy Award for her show lead role on "Rhoda." Her feature films include "Chapter Two," "Freebie and the Bean," and "The Last Married Couple in America."

Harper recently guest starred on "Desperate Housewives" and "Drop Dead Diva." She has also guest starred on "'Til Death," "Committed," "That '70s Show," "Sex and the City," "Touched by an Angel" and "Melrose Place."

Photo credit: Walter McBride

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