Sasha Pieterse opened up about her health struggles when she explained why she loves Hailee Steinfeld's song "Most Girls". "I love the song because it really resonates with me about what I've been through and what I'm still going through".
Sasha Pieterse fought back tears as she told dancing partner Gleb Savchenko about the hurtful comments people made after she gained weight. "I gained 70-ish pounds over two years. It was really, really hurtful the way people reacted. They were saying stuff like, 'She's pregnant', 'You're fat'. They were angry. They were mad that I look like this. It was one of the hardest things I've ever been through."
At the time, Sasha Pieterse had no idea why she suddenly gained weight. Sasha finally got answers after she was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), which is a hormone imbalance. (You can also read Sasha Pieterse's open letter addressing criticism of her weight gain here. However, the criticism continued. A year later, she followed it up with another open letter addressing the hurtful insults).
Sasha Pieterse shared that she's lost 15 pounds since joining Dancing with the Stars. "I'm feeling like me again," Sasha shared.
"It's not an easy road, but being able to focus on getting myself healthy again and the fact that I'm seeing results now and getting better is all I can ask for".
Watch Sasha Pieterse and her dancing pro partner Gleb Savchenko dance the Samba to Hailee Steinfeld's "Most Girls" (song live by Felicia Barton) in the video below. For any Dance Moms fans out there, you'll see Chloe Lukasiak and her mom Christi in the audience applauding after Sasha Pieterse's performance. (Dance Moms star Maddie Ziegler appeared in episode 6x05 of Pretty Little Liars. You can watch her PLL dream sequence dance here).
Sasha Pieterse's score: 22/30
That puts Sasha and Gleb is a decent place for the night. Four couples scored higher than them and seven couples scored lower. In first place is Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz and his dancing pro partner Witney Carson. They wowed the DWTS judges while dancing the Cha Cha to “Perm” by Bruno Mars. Luckily, Sasha Pieterse was safe from elimination. Singer Debbie Gibson was eliminated.
Dancing with the Stars Judge's critiques:
Len Goodman (professional dancer and dance teacher):
Len liked Sasha's performance. "I liked it. There was plenty of Samba content in there. You came out and had that little bit of sparkle going on in your performance, which I enjoyed watching very much. You did a good job tonight. Well done."
Bruno Tonioli (choreographer):
Bruno Tonioli also liked Sasha's dance. "Oh, so pretty in pink. Look at you. You are such a lovely dancer. You have such a good feel for the music. Your foot placement, I was really watching it, attentively. You place it so well. Lovely bounce."
Bruno wants to see more, though. "Even more va-va-voom, darling. You got it in you. Don't be shy because you are gorgeous. Sell it even more. Wonderful."
Carrie Ann Inaba (choreographer and dance producer):
Carrie Ann Inaba had Sasha's back Monday night when Bruno had criticisms of Sasha's Waltz. Once again, Carrie Ann Inaba didn't agree with Bruno's criticisms of Sasha. "Shy? What part of that performance was shy?" Carrie Ann Inaba asked Bruno Tonioli.
"I thought you were on fire. I think most girls are sitting at home thinking 'I want to be like you'. That's what happening right now. You came out tonight. I see you growing. It's like the best part of being a judge on this show is watching someone like you really sort of blossom into yourself. You are great out there. You have the bounce, you have the technique and you have the flair, honey. Well done."
After the performance, a reporter asked Sasha how she's combating Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Sasha said every woman is different.
"Either it's with birth control or another medication, but the fact that you can test your levels and know what it is and work with your doctor to fix it is amazing. And that's really what I want is for people to have awareness because so many women have it and they don't know. And if you don't catch it in time, it leads to too many things, but including ovarian cancer and breast cancer and all kinds of things that women deal with all the time and it could have been avoided," Sasha explained.
Gleb Savchenko said that he definitely sees the transformation in Sasha after joining Dancing with the Stars. The grueling dance rehearsals have resulted in Sasha Pieterse's weight loss. They've been doing lots of exercise. Every dance rehearsal starts with a 30-45 minute workout. Gleb makes Sasha run, do pushups, ab exercises and jump rope. They do lots of different exercises to build up stamina and strength.
Gleb wants to see Sasha's whole transformation. This isn't the end of her journey. He thinks she'll lose another 15 pounds.
Sasha Pieterse agreed that she wants that. She just wants to be healthy.
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