“Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba has apologized for comments she made about contestant Danielle Fishel’s body.
On last Tuesday’s show, Inaba criticized Fishel and professional partner Pasha Pashkov’s routines, including saying that Fishel is a “tiny little woman” and should “use the space” around her when she dances.
Before stepping into the ballroom this Tuesday, Fishel admitted in a confessional that those words have stayed with her.
“I’m a tiny little woman, but she’s bigger inside and more powerful, so I need to let her out more often,” the “Boy Meets World” star, 44, admitted.
However, she pointed out that “flopping[your]5-foot-1-inch body around the[dance]floor doesn’t come naturally.”
Pashkov, who has accused Inaba of “unwarranted” criticism of Fishel in the past, also took the judges’ feedback to heart, saying this week’s contemporary choreography was “the perfect style to practice[it].”
After her performance, Inaba took a moment to reflect on her comment that she was a “little, little woman.”
“If my words hurt you in any way, I never intended that to happen and I would like to apologize,” she told Fishel during the review.
“You may be small, but you are mighty. That’s why I can tell you this. Because I believe in you, okay?”
Fischel assured Ivana, 57, that he was “not offended” by the remarks.
Despite Inaba’s praise for their dancing, Fishel and Pashkov, 39, were ultimately voted out.
Fishel’s “Boy Meets World” co-stars recently questioned whether the “DWTS” judges, particularly Inaba, had a “personal vendetta” against her.
