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Tyra Banks Says ‘I Have Serious Shoes to Fill’ Hosting DWTS After Tom Bergeron: ‘I Respect Him’

Tyra Banks Says ‘I Have Serious Shoes to Fill’ Hosting DWTS After Tom Bergeron: ‘I Respect Him’

Tyra Banks On What Changes Fans Will See on DWTS: 'You Will See Togetherness' in an Unexpected Way

Tyra Banks says she will be "adding her pixie dust" to DWTS and predicts Bruno may say one of her iconic one liners!

Tyra Banks has entered uncharted waters as the new solo host of Dancing with the Stars — but the entrepreneur isn't planning on reinventing the wheel.

"Dancing with the Stars is one of the biggest shows on TV, with a huge audience, and I really respect that," Banks, who is also an executive producer on the hit reality series, tells PEOPLE. "I can't come in with a battering ram and try to change everything. That would be a bad business decision and dumb leadership. So I'm not doing that."

  • For more from Tyra Banks, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

Kurt Krieger/Corbis/Getty Tyra Banks

Continues Banks, 46: "I listened to research, I listened to the fans, I killed half of my ideas and then I doubled down on some of them. We want to implement those ideas but still respect the show — and add a little pixie dust!"

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In July, it was announced that former supermodel Banks, who also created and hosted America's Next Top Model, would be stepping in for longtime host Tom Bergeron and contestant-turned-co-host Erin Andrews.

"I have serious shoes to fill," says Banks of Bergeron, 65. "I have respect for him. And when the network called me, I sat on it for a very long time, because I knew what Tom had done. The host is the ringmaster. And I thought, 'Can I bring something fresh and exciting?' I called my mama and she said, 'You need to do this.' So I'm going to bring what I bring!"

Getty Images (2) Tom Bergeron and Tyra Banks

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Ultimately, says Banks, despite a global pandemic and the challenges of shooting a live show with COVID-19 safety protocols, "this is the right time" for Dancing with the Stars' return.

Eric McCandless/ABC Tyra Banks on the DWTS premiere

"People need to see hope right now," says Banks, who remains encouraged about the show's future. "We need to exhale, turn off the news and turn on the fun. And we need to dance!"

Dancing with the Stars will air next on Tuesday, Sept. 22. It will return to Mondays the following week on Sept. 28 on ABC.