General Hospital star Cameron Mathison heads back to Dancing With the Stars for the show's birthday

General Hospital star Cameron Mathison returned to the ballroom this week for Dancing With the Stars' 20th Birthday Party. The actor first appeared on the show 18 years ago as a competitor when he was playing Ryan Lavery on All My Children.

General Hospital, the Nurses Ball (Room)

Mathison posted on Instagram: "18 years since I hit the ballroom for DWTS Season 5 — and 12 more years covering it for GMA [Good Morning America] and ET [Entertainment Tonight]. Last night’s 20th Anniversary celebration was a full-circle moment. Amazing to reconnect with so many familiar faces and celebrate a show that’s become family.

"Huge thanks to ABC and @deena_katz for an unforgettable night🎉🎊🥳," Mathison added.

"Hey Cameron!!" posted @jenwallace399. "Love this, I remember when you were on DWTS, I have been watching that since the beginning, it’s my all-time favorite show, it was great seeing you in the audience last night,❤️❤️."

"How do you keep getting more handsome! Loved seeing you there last night, and when you competed," wrote @cathymwoj.

Let's Dance

Cameron Mathison and Edyta Sliwinska went to Week 8 in Season 5 of Dancing With the Stars | Image: ABC/YouTube

It was 2007 when Mathison took part in the show. He was paired with dance pro Edyta Sliwinska. The pair made it all the way to Week 8. The duo's lowest score was 21, and came in their first two weeks, performing a Foxtrot and a Mambo. Mathison and Sliwinska improved week after week and scored 27 (three 9s from each of the judges) for their Paso Doble in week 4, their Jive in week 7, and their Viennese Waltz in week 8.

Mathison maintained the grueling rehearsal schedule while juggling his regular taping schedule at AMC, necessitating flying back and forth weekly from the East Coast to the West Coast. His trip to the TV City studios in Los Angeles where far less of a commute now that the actor is on General Hospital as Drew.

The three finalists were entertainer Marie Osmond (paired with Jonathan Roberts), Spice Girls singer Mel B (paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy), and Indy 500 champion Hélio Castroneves (paired with Julianne Hough). The coveted mirror ball champions that season were Castroneves and Hough.

Also present for last night's taping was Kelly Monaco (ex-Sam, GH), who won the first season of Dancing With the Stars with Sliwinska's husband, Alec Mazo.

Other contenders from the soap world who have competed on Dancing With the Stars include Ingo Rademacher (ex-Jax, General Hospital), Susan Lucci (Erica, AMC), Chrishell Stause (ex-Jordan, Days of our Lives), and the late Anne Heche (ex-Marley/ex-Vicky, Another World).