Dang! Sharna Burgess has had some really unsavory experiences working on Dancing with the Stars!
In Cheryl Burke‘s Sex, Lies & Spray Tans podcast on Tuesday, the dance pro revealed she had not one but two former celeb partners who crossed the line on the show and made her incredibly “uncomfortable”! Oh no! Brian Austin Green‘s wife-to-be spilled the tea:
“I have in the past had two partners that made me feel very, very uncomfortable. At the time I was much younger and I would laugh it up and suck it up and I would make it ok.”
Sharna did NOT name names. However, she did give some details to narrow it down…
She said the incidents dated “back years and years” before the #MeToo Movement (which started in 2017), which helped her her deal with all this, she noted:
“I learned during and after #MeToo, women coming forward and saying, from the big to the little things, I was like holy s**t that happened to me, I didn’t even realize that I could speak up about it.”
So, what happened? One of the men kept trying to flirt with her and would become frustrated when she didn’t reciprocate. On this, she jabbed, “You know what men are like.” Oof. Sadly, we do! But there were also more problematic situations, she continued:
“I had a situation with a partner where it got to the point where we couldn’t be alone in a room without people watching. That was a difficult situation for me.”
OMG!
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Thankfully, the production team and network were super supportive of her, she recalled:
“I went through the proper channels and unfortunately I wasn’t able to record everything, but I was able to record some things and I did do the proper things and there were reports made and I was taken care of.”
SO great to hear! She also confirmed the harassment “was not sexual in any nature,” but as her friend Cheryl said:
“At the end of the day, no need to explain. You were uncomfortable. That’s a complete sentence.”
Amen!
Sharna wrapped up the segment, saying:
“I did the right thing and I went to the right people and I spoke up and I was able to do my job and not live in shame or fear.”
Innerestingly, she also discussed this on her own podcast Oldish earlier this month, in which she kiiiinda exposed one of the men! We think! While she didn’t say anyone’s name, she noted she wasn’t able to be alone with her partner during the show’s 29th season — and she was dancing with Jesse Metcalfe back then. That was only in 2020, BTW, so not that long ago! And not before #MeToo.
A rep for the Desperate Housewives star already denied the whole thing in a statement to Page Six, claiming the performer’s “vague insinuations are not only reckless but also irrelevant.” They added:
“The only recollection was that they didn’t get along.”
The spokesperson also said the Australian dancer was being “highly unprofessional” by making the “insinuations just to promote the first episode of her podcast.” As for Jesse, they said he would “not be commenting on this; he is taking the high road.” Wow.
Regardless of what really happened, it’s amazing to hear the DWTS team helped ensure Sharna’s safety while working with these problematic stars! Thoughts?? Share them (below)!
[Image via Sharna Burgess/Instagram]
