A new end-zone strut for Ward: Dance champ

LOS ANGELES - Hines Ward can add a disco-ball trophy to his Super Bowl shelf.

The Steelers wide receiver and former Super Bowl MVP won the Dancing With the Stars title Tuesday night, besting actresses Kirstie Alley, who finished second, and Chelsea Kane to become the Season 12 champ.

The champion was chosen by viewer votes combined with judges' scores.

Ward and professional partner Kym Johnson came into the season finale tied for first place with Kane. The couple added 30 points more to their total Tuesday.

Ward, 35, is the second professional football player to win the Dancing crown. Emmitt Smith won in 2006.

Disney Channel star Kane, 22, was a consistent high-scorer all season, and judge Carrie Ann Inaba called her "the one with the most consistent technique." Kane and her professional partner, Mark Ballas, were one point away from perfect during their last three dances.

Ward and Kane came into the season finale tied with 59 points out of 60. Alley had 54.

Alley was performing in a much smaller dress than the one she wore on the season premiere.

The 60-year-old actress had been noticeably shrinking week after week, but she was coy when asked Monday how much weight she had lost during her 21/2 months on the show.

"There will be some reveal of that at some point, but I really didn't care," she said. "As long as I kept changing and changing and changing, I really didn't care. It was like, keep whittling, whittling, whittling. And the other thing that's really more significant to me - I mean, I love the whittling, I like being skinny - I'm really strong and really agile, and it gave me a new life."

Earlier Tuesday night, Wendy Williams, Kendra Wilkinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, and the rest of the celebrity contestants eliminated from the hit ABC show earlier in the season brought their sometimes stunning, sometimes wacky moves back to the ballroom for the season finale.

The show opened with an all-cast routine and the Black Eyed Peas singing their new single, "Don't Stop the Party," to an energized audience.

Tuesday's episode was punctuated with musical performances. Besides the Peas, the Go-Go's played their classic "We Got the Beat" for a frenzied dance routine, and Josh Groban sang "You Raise Me Up" while ousted competitor Petra Nemcova danced.