Kelsey Anderson addressed a concerned fan who wondered why something seemed “off” between her and Joey Graziadei at the most recent Dancing With the Stars taping. In response to the fan’s TikTok video, Kelsey posted a video message on Wednesday, October 16, to explain why she wasn’t her usual self at the live show one day prior.
“Last night was dedication night and a lot of people dedicated their songs to people who made a big impact in their life – people they lost, people they’ve seen suffer through illnesses – and there were a couple moms [referenced] as well,” Kelsey, 26, explained. “So it was a hard night for me, seeing as I lost my mom six years ago to breast cancer. I really resonated with a lot of these stories of having amazing moms and all these things.”
Kelsey admitted that seeing so many emotional stories “struck a nerve” for her and made her “a little emotional” throughout the evening. “I guess she was right [thinking] something’s not right,” she added. “I was missing my mom a little extra.”
Plus, Joey, 29, dedicated his dance to Kelsey, which had her even more in her feels. “Joey’s dance was so beautiful and it meant a lot to me and it did make me emotional because he dedicated it to me,” she continued. “I also get a lot of anxiety before Joey’s dances and sometimes I even get a little lightheaded during them. Whenever the video got me, I was smiling with my mouth closed, but I was still so proud of him. I was just in my feelings a little bit with how special it was and also missing my mom. So I think maybe we should just focus more on the positives and not always assume the worst in things.”
Earlier in the video, the former Louisiana resident said that she was still getting used to having a relationship in the public eye (she and Joey met and got engaged on season 28 of The Bachelor earlier this year). “People like to assume things and sometimes it’s hard for me not to say something back,” she revealed. “I feel the need to say something back [this time] and so I’m going to because I feel like it’s going to make me feel better.”
Kelsey has been supporting Joey throughout his run on DWTS, which began in September. She previously clapped back at critics who wondered how she was able to watch him dance so intimately with his professional partner, Jenna Johnson, each week.
“So many people are like, ‘Kelsey, why is Jenna touching your man like that?’ And honestly, I don’t know … maybe because it’s her job?” Kelsey said in a previous TikTok video. “Maybe because she’s a professional dancer and she has to touch him to dance? I don’t know, that’s my understanding of it. I’m just so tired of everyone being like, ‘Kelsey’s so strong, I could not do this, I could not watch this if I was Kelsey.’”
Meanwhile, Joey admitted that he purposely asked for a dance partner who was happily married so he wouldn’t have to deal with romance rumors on the show. “It was something I thought about coming in,” he said on “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast in September. “I said I wanted to be in a situation I was comfortable [with], that I didn’t have to worry about a lot of noise.”
Jenna, 30, is married to fellow DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy, whom she shares one child with.
