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Washington Bureau Chief
Anna Delvey allegedly cried in the bathroom after the premiere of Dancing with the Stars due to the amount of hate she received online.
The 33-year-old faux heiress made her television debut on September 17, dancing to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” with Ezra Sosa for season 33 of DWTS.
According to her dance partner, their performance left Delvey hiding in the lavatory after receiving a vast amount of criticism on social media.
On TikTok, Sosa, who was promoted to pro dancer for this season of the star-studded dance competition, opened up about the highs and lows that followed the premiere. He admitted his heart “broke” for Delvey when he found her alone and upset upon seeing all the backlash.
“I just want to come on here and just talk about my first official show as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars,” he started before adding how he’d received positive feedback from fans of the show.
To Sosa, premiere day was the “best day ever,” but to Delvey, the time was devastating.
“On my partner’s end, she wasn’t receiving the same. I think the hardest part of my day after [the] press line, she was reading the comments and we couldn’t find her,” he explained. “They finally found her in the bathroom. She was crying. I’ve never seen her like that, and it broke my heart.
“As her partner, I wanted to give her the best experience she possibly could, and knowing that that’s not the case, it really did break my heart.”
Delvey’s notorious past put a target on her back heading into the televised competition. In October 2017, Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorkin, was arrested for stealing over $200,000 from banks, businesses, hotels, and wealthy individuals.
Posing as a German heiress in New York, Delvey was able to con many into trusting her. She was ultimately charged, convicted, and sentenced, serving about two years in prison before being released on house arrest in 2022. Delvey was born in Russia but emigrated to Germany with her family when she was young.
Though the convicted con artist’s controversial criminal behavior landed her behind bars, her efforts were glamorized, garnering an exorbitant amount of attention. The same year she was released from prison, Netflix released a limited series inspired by her story entitled Inventing Anna.
Still, DWTS fans didn’t seem too pleased with Delvey’s September 17 performance. Many slammed her online for appearing “emotionless.” Others were bothered by Delvey showing off her bedazzled ankle monitor in the first few seconds of the performance.
On X, one harsh user wrote: “The way Anna Delvey’s first #DWTS performance sucked all the energy and happiness out of the ballroom was something I don’t think I’ve witnessed in 33 seasons. Honestly, that was kind of shocking.”
“Is it possible to charge Anna Delvey with another crime for how emotionless that dance was?” a second critic questioned.
In response to her haters who claimed she shouldn’t have been cast on the show due to her criminal history, Delvey said: “I served my time... I think I should be afforded to have a chance to move forward.”
Sosa didn’t excuse Delvey’s past behavior, but he echoed her same sentiments. “She deserves a second chance. She has stepped up to the plate, and I just cannot wait for y’all to see how much she has improved,” he added in his TikTok video.
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