Maddie Ziegler, 14, has finally broken her silence. More than a year since she officially left "Dance Moms," she now explained her decision to leave and revealed that she is happy to have moved on to a different chapter in her life.
Ziegler recently graced the cover of Seventeen July/August 2017 issue. In the issue, "So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation" judge has opened up about the downside of her "Dance Moms" experience and how she has changed through the years.
"The show was a really stressful time—I just didn't want to deal with all of the drama anymore," Ziegler said. "I'm happy I've moved on. I get to step out and do my own thing and be myself. But I am thankful for the experience, and I miss dancing with the girls."
This is not the first time Ziegler opened up about her "Dance Moms" experience. After releasing her memoir "The Maddie Diaries" last March, she admitted that the need to continually win was extremely draining. While she does not want to return to the hit reality show, she is also not willing to give up her fame in favor of a normal childhood.
Currently, Ziegler is keeping busy as Sia's mentee. She has starred in several music videos for the pop singer, including "Chandelier" (2014), "Elastic Heart," "Big Girls Cry" (2015), "Cheap Thrills" and "The Greatest" (2016).
During her guest appearance on "The Project," Ziegler admitted she was stunned when she found out that she was given a role as the primary star in the "Chandelier" music video as she had thought she would only be in the background.
"I was walking in (to the studio to film) with no expectations," she recalled, adding, "I thought I was going to be in the video with Sia, and I thought I would be in the video with a bunch of other dancers."
