Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s Season 11 ‘Dancing with the Stars’ co-star Audrina Patridge has responded to Hope Solo’s claims that the professional dancer physically abused her during the 13th season, Celebuzz is reporting. The reality star told Celebuzz during an exclusive interview that Chmerkovskiy “can be aggressive…(but) I wouldn’t every say he’d ever hit anyone.”
The Olympic gold medalist soccer player alleged that Chmerkovskiy hit her stomach and slapped her last fall while they were rehearsing. But Patridge, who was paired with fellow professional dancer Tony Dovolani in 2010, said “he just knows what he wants and that’s just his personality.”
Patridge also said that Chmerkovskiy is “very blunt and he knows what he wants-he wants to do good. He’s not gray, he’s either black and white.” She also defended him, saying that “he can be really sweet too.”
“They’re all very competitive,” Patridge said of the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ professionals. “They all want to win.”
The reality star’s defense of Chmerkovskiy comes after Solo released her memoir, ‘Solo: A Memoir of Hope,’ in which she alleged the abuse. She also discussed her experience with the dancer last week on ‘Chelsea Lately.’
On the talk show, Solo said she didn’t physically respond to Chmerkovskiy’s slap because of the cameras, as she feared that the final edit would make her look like “the bad guy.” Instead, she took off her mic “and threw it and left the studio.”
Chmerkovskiy has denied Solo’s abuse claim. The controversy hasn’t affected his future with the hit ABC dance competition, as he’ll re-team with his Season 12 partner, Kirstie alley, for Season 15. The fall season will be the first all-star season, where previous contestants return to the ballroom to vie for the coveted mirror ball trophy once again.
Watch the Celebuzz video of Patridge defending Chmerkovskiy below.
Written by: Karen Benardello
