Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty; Steven Ferdman/Getty
Ziegler recalled the many challenges associated with her time on the Lifetime reality series — including working alongside Miller, the infamously tough coach that worked alongside the young dancers — and revealed how she has felt after ceasing contact with Miller, 56.
“She was distraught [when I left]. For the longest time, we felt so guilty,” Ziegler, 19, recalled inCosmopolitan’s Issue 4: The Fame Issue. “She trained me, she helped me, but also, I knew I would be okay without her and I was sick of being in a toxic environment.”
She continued, “I was like, ‘This is not for me. I can’t do this.’ I haven’t spoken to her since. I feel at peace.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Miller and Lifetime for comment.
Ziegler was one ofDance Moms' original stars when it debuted in 2011 and stayed with the show for six seasons until her exit in 2016 — though she says her family “really tried to leave for the last three seasons.”
She explained, “But when you’re in a contract, it’s really hard. Eventually, I finally got out.”
Josefina Santos for Cosmopolitan
Ziegler toldCosmoher all-star persona on the series wound up causing her grief even when the cameras weren’t rolling.
“People thought I was a brat,” she said. “Because in all my interviews, I would say, ‘I’m the best. I know I’m going to win.'”
She continued, “But that’s because the producer was telling me to say that. I was just doing whatever they told me to do because I thought that’s what you did. They set you up for failure.”
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Since leavingDance Moms, Ziegler has only burnished her résumé.
She becameSia’s protégé, appearing in many of the Australian singer’s music videos. She nabbed prominent acting roles in films likeThe Fallout,West Side StoryandThe Book of Henry. And as the author to herMaddie Diariesmemoir and a trilogy for middle-school-aged kids, she has become aNew York Timesbest-selling author.
That said, she admitted, “I still have a hard time considering myself famous. I know fame is a very wide spectrum, but still, I just don’t think I’mfamous. I see people likeRihanna[as famous] … I always say I’m ‘well-known.'”
source: people.com
