Daytime actress’ dance card is full

It’s been a dizzying time for Kelly Monaco -- both on and off the dance floor.

Since the “General Hospital” actress was declared the winner of ABC’s ballroom dancing reality series “Dancing With the Stars” last week, Monaco’s schedule has included making the rounds of talk shows (“Larry King Live,” “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” among others), news and entertainment shows and adjusting to her increased celebrity.

“It’s changed my so-called status immensely,” she said.

Until last week, the 29-year-old Monaco was best known for her role as Sam McCall on ABC’s daytime soap “General Hospital.” She also starred as Livvie Locke in the spinoff series “Port Charles,” for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. But she said that her street recognition has skyrocketed since her prime-time stint.

“Especially being in L.A., you see Tom Cruise on the street, so who cares about Kelly Monaco from ‘General Hospital?’ ” Monaco said in an interview last week. “But now, there’s not one place where someone hasn’t had a really wonderful comment to say about the show.

“The craziest thing is that it puts me in a very vulnerable situation; they’re commenting on me and not on a character, which is very different from what I’m used to.”

Wednesday night’s live telecast drew more than 22 million viewers as Monaco and her professional dancing partner, Alec Mazo, drew three perfect 10s for their freestyle dance. Monaco practiced at least three hours a day with Mazo over the course of the six-week series, becoming the Cinderella story as the pair rose from the bottom of the rankings.

As soon as Monaco began competing in ABC’s top-rated show, “General Hospital’s” public relations office began fielding a flood of calls expressing interest in the actress. And after Monaco was crowned the winner of “Dancing With the Stars,” she said she received offers of prime-time shows and the chance to host her own talk show. Monaco wouldn’t divulge specifics, but said for now she is committed to her role on “General Hospital.” She is currently filming episodes set to air in August.

Monaco had little time to adjust to her higher profile and the hectic schedule that would accompany it. Just hours after the “Dancing With the Stars” wrap party, she filmed a satellite feed interview with CBS at 2:30 a.m., followed by interviews with radio stations, “Entertainment Tonight,” “Larry King Live” and other shows, on top of her normal 10-hour workday at “General Hospital.”

Online blogs also began to dredge up her past, posting photos of the star when she posed for Playboy in April 1997 as Playmate of the Month.

“They act like I’m hiding it,” she said. “But it’s old news and nothing that I’m ashamed of or embarrassed by. I’ve done a lot of things in my career since then.”

For stars of popular reality television shows, the instant prime-time fame can bring pressure to capitalize on the overnight attention.

Kelly Clarkson, winner of the first season of “American Idol,” embarked on a 41-city tour and released her first single less than two weeks after the show’s live finale in September 2002.

Fellow “Dancing With the Stars” competitor Trista Sutter, 29, was first spurned as one of the two final women in ABC’s reality series “The Bachelor,” then became the first “Bachelorette,” marrying fireman Ryan Sutter in a million-dollar wedding televised by ABC.

Her third shot at reality TV came with “Dancing With the Stars,” where she was eliminated in the second week.

But Monaco said she doesn’t feel the need to jump on any offers immediately and is enjoying the attention for the time being.

“I’m living in the moment, you know?” she said. “It’s all I can do. If tomorrow no one cares, I’ll be fine.”