Melissa Rycroft shows off her dancer's figure as she frolics in a bikini with husband Tye Strickland
As Dancing With The Stars contestants are well aware, competing on the show is as much about getting back into shape as it is taking home that trophy.
So after competing on two series of the hit show - and triumphing in one - Melissa Rycroft is in better shape than ever.
And the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader proved she hasn't lost her envy-inducing physique as she strolled on the beach in Santa Monica, California with husband Tye Strickland.
Tanned and toned: Melissa Rycroft showed off an impeccable physique with husband Tye Strickland as they walked on the beach in Santa Monica, California
Melissa, 33, slipped into a barely-there bikini for the outing, telling Us Weekly of her figure: 'This is still Dancing With The Stars in effect.'
Meanwhile, Tye followed his wife's example by going shirtless and donning only a pair of belted khaki shorts.
The couple hit the sand without two-year-old daughter Ava Grace, instead opting to enjoy some romantic time alone.
They savored their brief moment of respite by walking in each others' arms before Tye decided to sweep Melissa off her feet for a tender kiss.
Reality star: Melissa, 33, worked as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader before her stints on The Bachelor and Dancing With The Stars
Public display of affection: The couple could not resist putting on a show of affection
The two wed in 2009 after Melissa's stint on The Bachelor and the public dissolution of her relationship with the show's star, Jason Mesnick.
She had dated Tye prior to entering the reality competition, and described their first break-up to Celebuzz: 'It was the worst breakup of my life. We broke up six months before I ended up going on The Bachelor, and I never really got over it.
'I couldn’t move to that place where I was okay and could move on with my life. I constantly dwelled on it,' she confessed.
Happy couple: Melissa and Tye married in 2009 after her public break-up with Jason Mesnick and welcomed daughter Ava in 2011
Dancing With The Stars moves? Melissa seemed to be using choreography from her time on the show, which she won in 2012
But since marrying, Melissa and Tye have enjoyed raising their daughter and hope to welcome another child in the future -- if Ava allows them to do so.
Melissa recently told Us Weekly: 'When we ask Ava [if she wants a sibling], she says no. Is she ever going to give us a yes? She's so spoiled. She doesn't want to share it.'
She continued of the little girl: 'Toddler years are the best ever! Totally beats the whole newborn thing -- she's so fun now!'
Loving motherhood: Melissa said of her daughter, 'Toddler years are the best ever! Totally beats the whole newborn thing -- she's so fun now!'
Short vacation: Melissa and Tye primarily reside in Dallas, Texas but savored a visit to Southern California
Yet the brunette beauty admits the road to blissful motherhood was not always so smooth, telling OK! Magazine: 'I lost myself a lot after I had Ava. I struggled to redefine who I was, and what my purpose was.
'I started having those conflicting feelings of ''I want to be a mom, but I also really like my job, and I like to work.''
'I felt bad saying I wanted to work. I felt like any good mom wouldn’t say that; all you want to do is be with your child, so it was a conflicting point of view in my head,' she added.
But she appears to have reconciled her feelings, remarking: 'I finally had to say ''you know what? If work is what you love to do, and that’s what makes you happy, there’s nothing wrong with doing that.''
'I do want to be a good role model for my daughter, that when she grows up, she can decide—‘I can stay at home, or I can be like my mom and do what she loves to do.'''
It's cold! Melissa grimaced as a wave knocked into the couple
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