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Anna Delvey reportedly cried in the bathroom after the premiere of Dancing with the stars due to the amount of hate he received online.
The 33-year-old fake 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, her performance left Delvey hiding in the bathroom after receiving a lot of criticism on social media.
On TikTok, Sosa, who was promoted to professional dancer for this season of the star-studded dance competition, opened up about the ups and downs he experienced after the premiere. He admitted that he was “heartbroken” for Delvey when he found her alone and upset to see all the negative reactions.
“I just want to come here and talk about my first official show as a professional dancer in Dancing with the stars“she began before adding how she had received positive feedback from fans of the show.
For Sosa, the opening day was “the best day of my life,” but for Delvey, the moment was devastating.
“My partner didn't get the same. I think the hardest part of my day after… [the] “On 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 had never seen her like that and it broke my heart.”
“As her partner, I wanted to give her the best experience possible and knowing that wasn’t the case really broke my heart.”
Delvey's notorious past made her an easy target for the televised competition. In October 2017, Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorkin, was arrested for stealing more than $200,000 from banks, businesses, hotels and wealthy individuals.
Delvey posed as a German heiress in New York and gained many people's trust. She was eventually charged, convicted and sentenced, serving approximately two years in prison before being released under house arrest in 2022. Delvey was born in Russia but emigrated to Germany with her family when she was young.
Although the convicted fraudster's controversial criminal conduct landed her in jail, her actions were glorified and attracted an exorbitant amount of attention. The same year she was released from prison, Netflix released a miniseries inspired by her story titled Inventing Anna.
Still, DWTS Fans didn't seem too happy with Delvey's performance on Sept. 17. Many criticized her online for appearing “emotionless.” Others were upset that Delvey showed off her bedazzled ankle monitor in the first few seconds of the performance.
On X, one stern user wrote: “The way Anna Delvey’s first performance on #DWTS sucked all the energy and happiness out of the ballroom was something I don’t think I’ve witnessed in 33 seasons. Honestly, it was a little shocking.”
“Is it possible to accuse Anna Delvey of another crime because of how emotionless that dance was?” a second critic asked.
Responding to critics who claimed she should not have been chosen for the show because of her criminal record, Delvey said: “I've served my time… I think I should be given the opportunity to move on.”
Sosa did not excuse Delvey’s past behavior, but echoed her sentiments. “She deserves a second chance. She has taken a step forward and I can’t wait for you all to see how much she has improved,” she added in her TikTok video.
