Sadie Robertson Recalls Her ‘Painful’ Experience on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and More in New Book ‘Who Are You Following’

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Sadie Robertson Recalls Her 'Painful' Experience on 'Dancing With the Stars' and More in New Book 'Who Are You Following'

Her whole truth. Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson opened up about motherhood, Dancing With the Stars and more in her latest book, Who Are You Following? Pursuing Jesus in a Social Media Obsessed World. The Louisiana native and her siblings — John Luke Robertson, Rebecca Robertson, Willie Robertson Jr., Bella Robertson and Rowdy Robertson — rose to fame on the A&E reality series with their parents — Korie Robertson and Willie Robertson — and grandfather Phil Robertson. The series, which ran for 11 seasons, followed the family-owned Duck Commander business from 2012 to 2017. As the family’s show grew more popular, the “WHOA That's Good” podcast host branched off and was cast on season 19 of DWTS with pro partner Mark Ballas. Though she’d already had a taste of the spotlight, the ballroom dance competition wasn’t like anything she’d experienced before. “Up until then, I felt like the attention wasn’t really on me; it was on my family. By the end of my eleven weeks on the show — when I placed runner-up — my life had changed so much, even though I didn’t feel like I had changed at all,” she wrote in her memoir, which hit shelves on Tuesday, February 1. Sadie reached 1 million followers during the 2014 DWTS season, but her friends at home began to grow more distant. “They probably assumed none of it bothered me because I had all these followers and fame. But all of that fame meant nothing to me when I felt invisible to the ones I really cared about,” she recalled. [jwplayer 1yS7ElWZ-zhNYySv2] Social media provided Sadie with a different type of anxiety that made using the apps feel “like a dating relationship you stay in even though you know it is time to go," she wrote. Some platforms, like Snapchat, became “an unnecessary temptation and distraction” — so she decided she no longer needed them. “When I deleted Snapchat it felt like a big deal because everyone had it, but you know what? I have not missed out on anything,” she wrote. “In fact, I believe that because of my choice, I am a better person with a freer and purer mind. I did not want to continue conforming to the pattern of the world when that pattern was unhealthy for me.” Christian Huff, Sadie’s now-husband, made the same social media choice before the couple had even crossed paths. The pair got engaged in June 2019 and tied the knot that November. Sadie felt “so thankful” to have found a partner with a similar point of view. “I remember someone asking us, ‘If y’all didn’t have Snapchat when y’all started dating, how did y’all see each other?’ First off, this made me laugh because we literally just saw each other in real life as much as possible,” she recalled. “That’s what dating is all about — spending real time together learning about each other, not just sending hundreds of selfies throughout the day.” The duo used FaceTime while they were dating long-distance and frequently spoke on the phone. However, that didn’t keep Sadie from feeling insecure — especially while looking at Christian’s Instagram profile. Despite her worries, the couple found their happy ending and welcomed daughter Honey in May 2021. Becoming a mother was “an incredible honor,” Sadie wrote. “I look at her, and I don’t compare her to a single thing. She is perfect. It is so easy to believe this verse for her because I’ve been a part of the way He created her. Why is it so hard for me to believe that for myself?” Before their little one arrived, the Live Fearless author exclusively told Us Weekly that she and her husband felt more connected than ever throughout the coronavirus pandemic. “We feel like we’ve been married for a year. That actually should count as five years because COVID years are like dog years. So it’s been incredible. It really has. We were very grateful that we had each other through this year,” she said in December 2020. “It’s taught us so much.” She continued at the time: “When we were looking back at the year, what have we seen in each other? And just the truth is just how good of friends we have become and how good of friends we are to one another. And I think that’s so huge.” Scroll down for the biggest revelations from Sadie’s book: [podcast_block]

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Sadie Robertson Recalls Her 'Painful' Experience on 'Dancing With the Stars' and More in New Book 'Who Are You Following'

Her whole truth. Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson opened up about motherhood, Dancing With the Stars and more in her latest book, Who Are You Following? Pursuing Jesus in a Social Media Obsessed World. The Louisiana native and her siblings — John Luke Robertson, Rebecca Robertson, Willie Robertson Jr., Bella Robertson and Rowdy Robertson — rose to fame on the A&E reality series with their parents — Korie Robertson and Willie Robertson — and grandfather Phil Robertson. The series, which ran for 11 seasons, followed the family-owned Duck Commander business from 2012 to 2017. As the family’s show grew more popular, the “WHOA That's Good” podcast host branched off and was cast on season 19 of DWTS with pro partner Mark Ballas. Though she’d already had a taste of the spotlight, the ballroom dance competition wasn’t like anything she’d experienced before. “Up until then, I felt like the attention wasn’t really on me; it was on my family. By the end of my eleven weeks on the show — when I placed runner-up — my life had changed so much, even though I didn’t feel like I had changed at all,” she wrote in her memoir, which hit shelves on Tuesday, February 1. Sadie reached 1 million followers during the 2014 DWTS season, but her friends at home began to grow more distant. “They probably assumed none of it bothered me because I had all these followers and fame. But all of that fame meant nothing to me when I felt invisible to the ones I really cared about,” she recalled. [jwplayer 1yS7ElWZ-zhNYySv2] Social media provided Sadie with a different type of anxiety that made using the apps feel “like a dating relationship you stay in even though you know it is time to go," she wrote. Some platforms, like Snapchat, became “an unnecessary temptation and distraction” — so she decided she no longer needed them. “When I deleted Snapchat it felt like a big deal because everyone had it, but you know what? I have not missed out on anything,” she wrote. “In fact, I believe that because of my choice, I am a better person with a freer and purer mind. I did not want to continue conforming to the pattern of the world when that pattern was unhealthy for me.” Christian Huff, Sadie’s now-husband, made the same social media choice before the couple had even crossed paths. The pair got engaged in June 2019 and tied the knot that November. Sadie felt “so thankful” to have found a partner with a similar point of view. “I remember someone asking us, ‘If y’all didn’t have Snapchat when y’all started dating, how did y’all see each other?’ First off, this made me laugh because we literally just saw each other in real life as much as possible,” she recalled. “That’s what dating is all about — spending real time together learning about each other, not just sending hundreds of selfies throughout the day.” The duo used FaceTime while they were dating long-distance and frequently spoke on the phone. However, that didn’t keep Sadie from feeling insecure — especially while looking at Christian’s Instagram profile. Despite her worries, the couple found their happy ending and welcomed daughter Honey in May 2021. Becoming a mother was “an incredible honor,” Sadie wrote. “I look at her, and I don’t compare her to a single thing. She is perfect. It is so easy to believe this verse for her because I’ve been a part of the way He created her. Why is it so hard for me to believe that for myself?” Before their little one arrived, the Live Fearless author exclusively told Us Weekly that she and her husband felt more connected than ever throughout the coronavirus pandemic. “We feel like we’ve been married for a year. That actually should count as five years because COVID years are like dog years. So it’s been incredible. It really has. We were very grateful that we had each other through this year,” she said in December 2020. “It’s taught us so much.” She continued at the time: “When we were looking back at the year, what have we seen in each other? And just the truth is just how good of friends we have become and how good of friends we are to one another. And I think that’s so huge.” Scroll down for the biggest revelations from Sadie’s book: [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Adam Taylor

'Painful' Times on 'DWTS''Painful' Times on 'DWTS'

“I hit a million followers very quickly after going public on Instagram during my time on Dancing with the Stars,” Sadie recalled of her time on the ABC reality show. “But while my Instagram following was growing, I was losing my closest circle of friends. That was one of the loneliest and most painful times of my life.”

Competing on DWTS “was a big opportunity” that put the reality star on a whole new level of fame. Sadie and Ballas ended the season in second place, and the “attention” caused some big changes in her personal life.

“I stopped getting invited to things. I got booted from our lunch table. … But all of that fame meant nothing to me when I felt invisible to the ones I really cared about,” she wrote. “A hundred thousand likes on a picture does nothing for you when you have no one to hang out with. To the outside world, I had everything, but inside I was missing something I greatly desired — friendship."

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Being the 'Duck Dynasty' Girl

"When my family began filming Duck Dynasty, one of the executive producers told us, ‘Think of it like a first date. Don’t talk about politics or religion. You have to get to know each other a little better first,’” Sadie wrote of the early days of her family’s reality series, which premiered in 2012, noting that they were encouraged not to “ruffle any feathers.”

Following the end of the show, Sadie hoped to separate herself from her Duck Dynasty image. "I even would tell the pastors at churches I was speaking at not to say anything about Duck Commander or Duck Dynasty when they introduced me, not because I wasn’t proud of it, but because it seemed like that was the only thing people knew about me,” she recalled. “I was trying to start something new, like ministry, speaking and writing, but it felt like I was just stuck being ‘that duck girl.’ I did not want to be known just for what I had done; I wanted to be known for who I was."

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Her Past 'Unhealthy' Relationship

While looking back on her love life before marrying Huff, the Live Original writer confessed that things weren’t always as they seemed to the outside world. (She didn’t name the ex in question, but she previously dated Blake Coward from March 2014 to March 2015 and Austin North for four months in 2018.)

"Publicly, it looked like we were a happy, supportive couple. But privately, I was spending a lot of time crying and feeling miserable,” she wrote. “We were both unhealthy in this relationship, but we sure did look good on social media. … Every now and then we would have good moments that made me think, ‘Well, maybe things are going to turn around.’ The relationship wasn’t all bad, but it was bad enough that I knew it needed to end."

With Huff, however, things were different. "I knew Christian was different from anyone else that I had dated when he looked at me and said, ‘Never apologize for what God is doing in your life. If it is a win for God and a win for the kingdom, then it will always be a win for me.’”

Credit: Courtesy Sadie Robertson/Instagram

Bringing Her 'A-Game' for Christian Huff

When Sadie began dating her now-husband, she stepped up to her “A-game” to make a good impression. "I was getting spray tans, having my nails done, borrowing friends’ clothes, and even practicing the dance moves that I would do in the car when he picked me up to go on a date,” she wrote.

As she was “trying to be likable,” Sadie found herself attempting to dig for clues in his social media pages as “FBI Investigator Sadie Rob.” When she saw photos of her then-boyfriend at a date party with a “really pretty” girl, she began to feel anxious.

"All of a sudden I had a different perspective as I looked at those photos. I noticed her in a different way,” she recalled. “I’m not even in college, and she’s in college, and Christian is in college; they have way more in common. My mind went through every other thought that you could possibly have while comparing yourself to somebody.”

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Social Media Anxiety

Before deleting a few social media apps — including TikTok and Snapchat — Sadie’s relationship with the platforms had a “toxic cycle of breaking up and getting back together, hoping that when I came back, the problems that I had before would be gone.” Despite the “negative and even alarming” content she’s sometimes come across, she chooses to focus on the “incredible things [that] happen through these apps,” while reminding herself that not everything in life is as perfect as it seems on social media.

Taking breaks from the internet has also helped her lead “a much more fun and joy-filled life” than before. “I have worked hard to get healthy in these areas and now I am very aware of how I’m feeling as I scroll or as I watch movies or shows,” she wrote. “I take immediate action if something isn’t sitting right. I have walked out of plenty of movies, and I’ve never once regretted the peace I felt that night as I fell asleep.”

Credit: Courtesy Sadie Robertson/Instagram

Her 'Chaotic' Labor

Sadie welcomed daughter Honey in May 2021 on what was “one of the greatest days of [her] life,” even though not everything went to plan. Throughout her pregnancy, the new mom “consistently prayed the whole time that she would have strong lungs” due to her battle with COVID-19. She hoped her daughter “would be born with such strong lungs that she’d be able to give a loud cry and make a sound of praise.”

While she “planned for an all-natural birth,” her doctor instead suggested that being induced would be “the safest option” at her 41-week appointment.

“As I went in for the last push, things suddenly got chaotic; nurses pushed me down flat on my back, then pushed my stomach and pulled my legs as the doctor stood over me. A long two minutes and ten seconds later, my baby girl was out — but not breathing,” Sadie recalled. “It turns out that Honey’s shoulder had gotten stuck and was closing off her umbilical cord, keeping her from breathing. … All of a sudden the song ‘Million Little Miracles’ came on, which could not have been more perfect for that moment. And out of nowhere I heard it: Honey let out a cry. She’d started breathing.”

Credit: Courtesy Sadie Robertson/Instagram

Being a First-Time Mom

After giving birth, Sadie “was in pretty rough shape” and had a “very hard” recovery. She also quickly learned that “there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of methods out there for everything” when it comes to parenting.

"You want to know the best way to breast-feed? There are many, many methods. Looking for the best way to get your baby on a sleep schedule? There are hundreds of ways. Want to know how to breathe during labor? Yup, you guessed it! There are several effective techniques!” she wrote. “Honestly, all the options really overwhelmed me because it required me to keep asking what way was the best way. And you won’t ever know until you try figuring it out yourself."

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Friendship With Alexa PenaVega

Sadie “debated” whether it was a good idea to share photos of her daughter’s face after she arrived. “I had seen many celebrities hide their kids and so I thought that was probably the route to go,” she pointed out.

The influencer turned to her friend Alexa PenaVega — who shares three children with husband Carlos PenaVega — for advice. “When I asked her what her thought process was about sharing their family’s pictures online, she answered, ‘We asked ourselves, How do we best represent the kingdom on earth? After all, we want to do that in every aspect of our lives. We want to shine a light on biblical values like family and set an example for faith-based families,’” Sadie wrote.

Credit: Courtesy Sadie Robertson/Instagram

Keeping Her Relationship Private

"When I knew that I wanted to date [Christian], I let him know I did not want it to be public for a while because I did not want everyone else’s opinions becoming part of our new relationship,” Sadie recalled, noting that the pair were never secretive about their romance, but wanted to stay private at first. “He really respected that and was on the same page. I wanted to guard his heart and guard my own.”

Before Huff and Sadie tied the knot in November 2019, the couple valued the time they shared with friends and family until they were ready to go public. “The ones who love us and speak wisdom into our lives witnessed us dating and shared in our joy,” she added. “When we were confident in our relationship, we finally posted publicly. And guess what? It changed nothing because we were rooted."