After her time on “Dancing with the Stars,” Anna Delvey is reshaping her narrative and sharing her experiences with co-star Tori Spelling.

During a recent episode of Spelling’s iHeartRadio podcast “Misspelling,” Delvey opened up about her calm public image, which has faced backlash from “DWTS” viewers. Referencing their joint eliminations, Delvey called it “suspicious.” When Spelling inquired whether she felt anxious on the show, Delvey’s answer was revealing.

“My introduction to the public was through my criminal trial, where I found myself in a courtroom full of spectators taking my picture for hours on end,” Delvey explained to Spelling.

Delvey expressed feeling “upset” and as if she was “disposed of so quickly.” However, she admitted it wasn’t shocking that she was eliminated; as her viewer demographic is younger, she felt embarrassed to be voted off before other contestants like Eric Roberts or Reginald VelJohnson, who had received lower scores than her.

Anna Sorokin, known as Anna Delvey, was on Season 33 of “Dancing with the Stars” after facing accusations of fabricating a glamorous life and scamming $275,000 from various affluent sources. She was found guilty of grand larceny in 2019 and served slightly over three years out of a four- to twelve-year sentence.

She mentioned that her performance was “decent,” achieving a score of 36 out of 60 across her first two dances. Delvey also acknowledged her limited knowledge about the show, having only watched the season with JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson in 2021.

Delvey explained: “I’ve always been on guard; showing emotions doesn’t help, as it can easily be misinterpreted,” but she admitted she was indeed “nervous.”

“I thought of it purely as a dance competition; I had to nail the steps based on my training,” she shared, explaining her classical ballet background from Russia. Delvey added that her training taught her that “you have to simply execute the steps; smiling is not required in ballet.”

Addressing the topic of smiling in their performances, Delvey questioned Spelling about the societal expectation for women to smile in 2024, attributing such criticism to “remnants of patriarchal standards.”

“The notion is that you can only be deemed ‘good’ if you also look attractive and smile,” Delvey remarked.

She expressed uncertainty regarding the authenticity of the professional dancers’ partnerships, feeling that their interactions could often be rehearsed. “It’s hard to tell what’s genuine and what’s merely part of their job,” she shared, though she acknowledged her partner, Ezra Sosa, as a “very kind person.”

Delvey later clarified that this concern wasn’t her main issue with the show, just one of several challenges she faced. She pointed out that her performance affected both her and Sosa: “Whatever happens, he wins because if I do well, it’s good for him, but if I perform poorly, it’s all on me since he’s the newcomer.” In response to criticism from “DWTS” fans regarding her treatment of Sosa, she emphasized, “I’m not some abuser, and I’m not making his life miserable.”

Delvey Claims She Gained ‘Nothing’ from the Show After Being Voted Off

From the beginning, Delvey’s participation in “DWTS” was surrounded by headlines: she needed special permission from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to compete since she had previously been detained for visa issues; she danced while wearing an infamous ankle monitor; and she faced a challenging start on the dance floor.

Delvey was eliminated from the competition after a quickstep performance with partner Ezra Sosa. When host Julianne Hough asked her what she learned from the experience, Delvey bluntly replied, “Nothing.” Hough later described this response as “iconic” on Instagram.

In a prior email statement to YSL News, Delvey admitted to feeling very anxious before her first dance but felt she performed well despite the circumstances. “The room went quiet. Clearly, I wasn’t the favorite yet, but I intend to continue and win the audience over with hard work. I won’t back down,” Delvey expressed.

“Honestly, I’m a fighter, and I see myself as the underdog,” Delvey concluded in her statement.