Abby Lee Miller will be returning to Dance Moms for Season 8, the reality star confirmed on Instagram Friday.
“OMG! Can you believe I’m going to film Season 8 of Dance Moms! Yes, it’s official! We begin the end of [January],” Miller wrote, alongside a new photo of herself. She included hashtags “ALDCAlways,” referencing the Abby Lee Dance Company, and “the best is yet to come.”
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The news is not too surprising, since sources told Entertainment Tonight back in July about her plan to return to television, despite her prison sentence and health scares. The site dancemomscasting.com also surfaced, appearing to back up the report.
Last month, Miller shared a photo of herself at the Abby Lee Dance Company studio being filmed.
“Grrrrrrrr!!!! Back to the daily grind,” she wrote. “Comment if you can guess what we’re shooting today? #abby #abbyleemiller #abbylee #dance #tvshow #dancemoms.”
In March 2017, Miller left Dance Moms, forcing Lifetime to hire Dancing With The Stars pro Cheryl Burke to host the second half of Season 7. Miller accused the show’s producers of treating her “like dirt” and disrespecting her.
“I don’t have a problem working with any kid, I love children and have dedicated my life to making other people’s children successful!” she wrote at the time. “I JUST HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BEING MANIPULATED, DISRESPECTED, AND USED – DAY IN AND DAY OUT BY MEN WHO NEVER TOOK A DANCE LESSON IN THEIR LIVES AND TREAT WOMEN LIKE DIRT!”
Miller also spent time at a federal penitentiary in Victorville, California on bankruptcy fraud charges. She was released early, only to be later diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, after she had emergency back surgery. Miller, 52, then spent four months in rehab, reportedly leaving in September.
“She’s not 100 percent there yet but she is doing good,” JoJo Siwa, one of Miller’s former students, told Entertainment Tonight in August. “She’s going through therapy, she’s going through all the things that she needs to be going through, chemo obviously. [I] think she only has one or two more rounds of chemo, so that’s really really good for her but she’s happy, she’s in good spirits.”
Recent photos of Miller show her using a wheelchair, and one source said she may never walk again.
“Abby has been trying to stay positive throughout this journey, but it’s been tough,” an insider told PEOPLE in late August. “She’s getting a little stronger every day, but we don’t know if she’ll ever walk again.”
Miller made a rare public appearance at the National Film and Television Awards on Dec. 5, using a wheelchair on the red carpet.
Photo credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
