New inspiration for DWTS

When the new series of Dancing with the Stars begins soon one man will make history by becoming the first blind person to compete on the show.

Gerrard Gosens has flown planes, attempted climbing Mt Everest, and skydived.

Most of the adventurer and athlete's life has been spent pushing his body.

He has run from Cairns to Brisbane five times, competed in dozens of marathons and in three Paralympic Games.

"I have flown planes around Queensland, gone diving with sharks, parachuting, a whole range of experiences in my life," he said.

Sharing the dancing adventure will be his dance partner Jessica Raffa.

"I am so proud of him, he is just so intelligent and he really picks up the steps quite quickly, so it makes my job a lot easier," Jessica said.

Gerrard joins the ranks of other international stars, shunning their disabilities for the limelight.

But can a blind man master, in front of a national audience, do what most of us could not manage in our lounge room?

"It's breaking down what people actually believe can be done," Gerrard said.

"Whether it be my friends my family, I think for them it is nothing new for them they've seen me do some pretty, I suppose adventurous things.

"I think for me being totally blind probably the most challenging thing is knowing my body pose actually does look well in the waltz, the rumba and any of the steps I have to learn."

He said the most challenging first step is learning the actual moves and committing them to memory.

"I want to take away being number one," he said.

Visit the official Dancing with the Stars website