‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Sharna Burgess Defends Nick Carter Following Sexual Assault Allegations

Dancing With The Stars professional dancer Sharna Burgess defended her one-time dancing partner Nick Carter, who has been accused of rape by former pop singer, Melissa Schuman of Dream.

Burgess first posted a link to Backstreet Boys fansite post about Schuman’s allegations against Carter.

“Please know your facts before stating your opinion,” the 32-year-old Burgess wrote.

She later followed through, posting a video showing her support for Carter. She stressed that support for Carter does not mean she doesn’t support female empowerment or the #MeToo movement.

“They are both movements that I am a part of, here for and proud of,” she wrote. “Nick was definitely one of the most respectful guys that I’ve ever danced with on the show. So understanding of the difference between the character and the dance and then the action.”

She said Carter was “incredibly sweet” from the day they started working together and was “accepting” of her “bossing” him around. She said Carter owned up about the “darkness” he’d faced in his life to inspire others.

Burgess also posted a second video. In that, she said Carter never showed “anything ugly” during the show. She said her videos were just a show of support for the singer.

On Nov. 21, Schuman published a blog post, in which she accused Carter of raping her in 2002. She later told Dr. Oz that the Harvey Weinstein scandal inspired her to come forward.

Carter has denied the allegations.

“I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations,” Carter said in a statement. “Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally.”