‘DWTS’ Pro Lacey Schwimmer Says Maks Chmerkovskiy’s Comments on Her Weight ‘Broke Her Spirit’

Lacey Schwimmer talks candidly about her experience on Dancing with the Stars. For six seasons, Schwimmer was a professional dancer who appeared on the competition show. Although she last appeared on it in season 13 alongside Chaz Bono, she has given a very honest reflection on it on the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast.

When she talked to host Cheryl Burke, she shared her experiences with former DWTS pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Louis van Amstel regarding her weight. “First, no one should ever, ever discredit somebody based off of their appearance. I don’t care if you’re skinny, fat, whatever. Ugly face, busted teeth — I don’t care what you look like. It has nothing to do with your talent or ability or what you are hired to do,” she said.

In her opinion, the former So You Think You Can Dance star was part of the show during a time when women were not permitted to speak freely or celebrate their bodies in a way they were comfortable with. Although she commented on how body standards have changed in the dance community over the past few decades, she said it broke her heart to hear negative remarks from people she looked up to since the age of 19. “Oh, my God, it ruined me,” Schwimmer, a size six on the show, later told Burke. “I remember crying and crying and crying.”

Chmerkovskiy, 43, and Van Amstel made the comments during a TV Guide interview that took place in 2008. “When I first saw these women this season, I said, ‘Guys, you know the camera adds 10 pounds.’ You have to do something about this,’” Chmerkovskiy told the outlet, per the Los Angeles Times.

In a similar vein, Van Amstel, 51, expressed his opinion. He told TV Guide, via the Los Angeles Times, “If [the viewers] watch someone who’s dancing her butt off and she’s still heavy, they can be discouraged. You have to take responsibility.”

As part of her podcast, Burke, 39, comments on DWTS and shares experiences from former competitors. Following her departure, Burke has opened up about being a pro dancer on the series for 26 seasons and now having the show in her past. She confirmed that she originally wanted a spot on the judge’s panel if the show felt it was appropriate but revealed to Chris Jericho that the show decided to part ways. “They don’t see a place for me,” Burke said on the wrestler’s podcast Talk is Jericho. “Whether that’s at the judge’s table or as a possible co-host, and that’s OK.”