Nothing but love. Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller opened up about wanting to be apart of her former dance student Maddie Ziegler’s success in a revealing Lifetime special, Dance Moms: Abby Lee Tells All, which aired on Tuesday, July 25.
In the emotional sit-down, Miller — who is currently serving a year-long prison sentence — admitted that while she never had a falling out with Ziegler, 14, the dancer instructor is “disappointed” that she doesn’t share in her former student’s post-Dance Moms successes.
“Absolutely. ‘Cause that’s not the kid I raised,” she explained. Miller went on to say that she felt like a mother figure to the young dancer.
Since exiting the Lifetime reality series in 2016, Ziegler has found success working with singer Sia, appearing in several of her music videos. The star made her acting debut in The Book of Henry in June, and voiced character Camille in the upcoming animated film Leap!
“I talk to the media, I might not pick up the phone and call her, but I tell everybody else!” Miller praised the rising star. “I tell my friends, ‘She’s adorable, she’s wonderful! It’s a great film!’ I look at what she has done, and the other jobs and the other opportunities besides Dance Moms, they all involve dancing, they’re all about dance, they’re all judging dance, dancing, performing, something!”
The former Lifetime personality believes she played a role in propelling Ziegler into the limelight.
“I don’t think had she not been in my studio, she would be where she is today,” Miller explained. “And I can confidently say that. I’m not gonna say that I ‘made’ anybody, I didn’t make her, her mom and dad created her, but I certainly added my two cents in.”
The dance coach went on to say, “I hope that she doesn’t forget the good times cause there were a lot more good times than bad times.”
As previously reported, Miller turned herself in for her 366-day prison sentence earlier this month at the FCI Victorville facility in Victorville, California.
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