Anna Delvey’s partner on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ reacts to her ‘iconic’ monosyllabic answer to elimination

Although Delvey’s final words left a bad taste in some people’s mouths, the young dancer insisted that she was an “incredibly sweet” – yet “misunderstood” – person.

“I think she feels the need to show that to people who treat her as ‘Anna Delvey,'” Sosa said. “But when I danced with her and taught her, I really tried my best to see her as the person she is outside of her role, and she really is so lovable.”

“I really loved getting to know her and dancing with her every day.”

Sosa has been one of Delvey’s biggest supporters since her controversial casting was announced earlier this month.

However, during a recent podcast appearance, he admitted that the fashionista – whose real name is Anna Sorokin – did not know “what she was getting into” when she took part in the show.

Although Sosa said the scammer had a “pretty good work ethic,” he acknowledged that it was “difficult” at first to get her interested in the competition.

“Every day she was like, ‘Ugh, I don’t want to do this,’ but now she’s here and obviously she doesn’t want to embarrass herself, so she’s really trying now,” he told Joe Vulpis.

However, after the season premiere, the professional dancer revealed that he found the fashion PR agent “crying in the bathroom” due to a flood of hate messages.

“It really broke my heart,” he said in an emotional TikTok, urging his fans to give her a “second chance.”

Despite his request, the two were sent home in the second week, meaning Delvey must fly back to her home airport in New York City, according to her agreement with ICE.

Delvey was convicted in 2019 and served nearly four years in prison after being accused of multiple theft offenses. She returned to New York society in 2024.