Tori Spelling Opens Up About Brian Austin Green Inspiring Her to Join Dancing with the Stars (Exclusive)

Tori Spelling is revealing which of her famous friends inspired her to finally go on Dancing with the Stars. 

Spelling caught up with PEOPLE on Wednesday, Sept. 4, after it was announced that she would be joining season 33 as Pasha Pashkov’s partner. Admitting that she has always doubted her ability to be on the competition dance show, the actress says she is excited.

“I had been offered it before and I wanted to do it so bad — I’m such a huge fan — and I was just too terrified to ever say yes,” she confesses.

This time around, Spelling says one of her Beverly Hills, 90210 costars encouraged her to take on the challenge.

“Brian Austin Green has known the whole time since I got that phone call,” she shares. “So that whole time I was like, ‘I don’t know if I should do or shouldn’t do it,’ but he was like, ‘You will be amazing, you need to do this.’”

The Troop Beverly Hills alum’s connection to Green, who was on season 30 of DWTS with fiancé Sharna Burgess, also gave her a reason to join the show. Spelling says she hasn’t yet gotten any dancing tips from Burgess yet, but she did consult her while waiting to find out her partner.

“From the beginning I was like, ‘Sharna, who do you think I’m gonna get as a partner?’” Spelling explains. “And she literally went through everybody and was saying, ‘He’s great, and he would work for you,’ and she totally, when she gave me the lowdown, she was like, ‘This one would be perfect for you,’” Spelling continues, pointing her finger at Pashkov.

“So when I walked in [and saw Pashkov], I was like, ‘Oh my God, Sharna was right!” she adds.

In addition to Spelling and Pashkov, this season’s cast includes Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks dancing with pro Val Chmerkovskiy (brother of Parks’ The Traitors costar Maksim Chmerkovskiy); Academy Award-nominee Eric Roberts (who is brother to Julia Roberts and father to Emma Roberts) paired with Britt Stewart; and convicted con artist Anna Delvey partnered with Ezra Sosa.

Others competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy are NBA champion Dwight Howard dancing with Daniella Karagach; former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola partnered with Witney Carson; Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Brooks Nader paired with Gleb Savchenko; Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher competing with Alan Bersten, The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei, who will be dancing with Jenna Johnson; Pretty Little Liars: Summer School star Chandler Kinney paired with Brandon Armstrong; Family Matters patriarch Reginald VelJohnson partnered with Emma Slater; and The Bachelorette‘s Jenn Tran, fresh off her finale, dancing with Sasha Farber.

Previously, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed the return of Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro as co-hosts for season 33, and Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will be returning to the judges’ panel.

Dancing with the Stars is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions. Season 33 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with the episode available to stream the next day on Hulu.