Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller has declared how "proud" she is of JoJo Siwa after taking Britain by storm in the Celebrity Big Brother house.Siwa has become a fan favourite on the ITV's reality TV show - striking up a close friendship with Love Island star Chris Hughes.FULL STORY HERE.
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00:00We've finished the first week in a bit of Sydney Big Brother.
00:03It's well underway and it hasn't come without drama.
00:06So there's been evictions, arguments,
00:08Mickey Rourke has been removed under controversial circumstances
00:11from the house as well.
00:13Yes, and last night, former Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa
00:17was safe from the nominations, but she did face a punishment
00:21for communicating in secret with contestant Chris Hughes.
00:25Now, I want to introduce you to someone who knows Jojo very well
00:28from Jojo's days, no, from her days as Jojo's teacher on Dance Moms
00:34and that is Abbie Lee Miller.
00:37Abbie Lee, good morning to you.
00:40Good morning.
00:41Abbie, let me tell you something.
00:42I have never seen Dance Moms, right?
00:44So I don't know who you are.
00:46But I tell you, I am the only person in the world
00:49who doesn't know who you are because I mention your name
00:53and people are saying, is she on?
00:55Is she Abbie Lee Miller?
00:56Well, so it's absolute pleasure and privilege to have you here.
01:02Well, it's nice to meet you.
01:03See, you don't have any preconceived notions about me then.
01:07Yes, that's true.
01:08Definitely not.
01:09Definitely not.
01:10Right.
01:10But who do you have preconceived notions about in that big brother house?
01:15I don't know how up to date you are with things.
01:18I'm not very up to date.
01:20I just know that Jojo is a good competitor.
01:23She likes to compete.
01:25And she's going to be great at the challenges,
01:27whether they're physical or mental or, you know,
01:32if she has to sing or dance or act or whatever, she's going to be good.
01:35So how long have you known her?
01:37How old was she when she first came to your dance school?
01:40I think she was, well, she was seven or eight when she started on Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition.
01:48And then around nine when she was on Dance Moms and came to Pittsburgh.
01:54And was she a feisty character?
01:57Was she a quiet girl?
01:58Did she knuckle down?
01:59What was she like?
02:01Quiet?
02:02No, she was not quiet.
02:04She was feisty.
02:05She had charisma.
02:08She was precious and adorable.
02:10Her face, you looked at her and you just thought she was this angel.
02:13And, you know, then she opened her mouth.
02:15Yeah.
02:16But she was a very charismatic, intense, strong dancer.
02:21And we did a lot of lyrical and contemporary, so we had to pour down a little bit.
02:27So what is a dance mom?
02:29Explain to us what a dance mom is.
02:31You really don't get out much, do you?
02:37No, no, no.
02:38No, no, but enlighten me.
02:42A dance mom is an overzealous, crazy, loony tune who is living vicariously through their child.
02:52And they want their kid to be a star.
02:54They want their kid to win, win, win.
02:56But, you know, maybe not work that hard, maybe not get any blisters or sweat, you know, but win everything.
03:05And on that reality TV show, because it was years that you did it for, I've always wondered how much of it is completely natural, spontaneous, and how much is a little bit performative for the cameras?
03:17Or is it a bit of both?
03:19Like scripted?
03:20Come on.
03:21Not scripted, but I think overdone.
03:23I was going to say, those ladies couldn't have read a script.
03:25There's no way.
03:28But as in how much are they performing for the cameras and making great TV, and how much is just completely spontaneous?
03:33It wasn't about performing for the cameras, because to me, they weren't even there.
03:38It was my day-to-day job.
03:40I was trying to get these kids just able to step on stage and make themselves look good, make me look good.
03:48It was my name out there that they were representing.
03:51And I was just trying to come up with some idea and some choreography that, you know, would win.
03:58The moms, they just kind of had to sit on their butts and talk about me.
04:02So I think, yeah, and they got paid for that.
04:06But I think that the mama drama is in every dance studio now.
04:12We just showed it.
04:14And, you know, you couldn't leave at the end of the day if there wasn't a big fight.
04:19So, you know, the producers came in and told them what to do, and they did it.
04:24I kind of didn't listen to the producers.
04:26I did my own thing.
04:26Well, then, you're talking about big fights.
04:29You'll know about Big Brother and how certain people fall out and certain people get the boot for controversial things.
04:37Do you know Mickey Rourke, incidentally?
04:40I don't know Mickey Rourke, but I certainly saw his movies when he was a big deal back in the day.
04:46Well, he's not a big deal anymore, I suppose.
04:49The point is that he said a few controversial things, and I think we've got a clip of this.
04:55This was him, and this is why he was – we don't have a clip.
04:59Yeah, he was kicked out because – well, he was kicked out for poor behaviour all around,
05:03but he was very rude to Jojo Siwa and made some allegedly homophobic remarks against her,
05:08which is why he's – one of the reasons he's left.
05:11But have you been following Jojo's career since Dance Moms, and what do you think of where she's got to?
05:17Absolutely.
05:18Absolutely. I follow her. I talk to her at least once a week.
05:22I talk to her mom.
05:25So, mom, you know, I'm very proud of her.
05:28She – when she left Dance Moms, she had a deal with a huge conglomerate over here.
05:36You couldn't walk into any of our big box stores, our Walmarts, our Targets, without seeing her name,
05:42without seeing toys that she designed and clothing that she did.
05:46And, you know, I dreamed of having a dancewear line in one of those stores,
05:51and she had every single item you could ever think of had her name on it.
05:55Then the music.
05:57You know, she started as a little kid doing this cute little boomerang song that one of my besties actually produced that.
06:05And she, you know, had over a billion views on it, a billion.
06:10And from there, it's just gone up and up.
06:13So, a lot of those people that are her super fans right now, me included, you know,
06:18they knew her as a little kid, and they've grown up with her.
06:22So, right now, she's doing a new thing.
06:24She's going to be a pop star.
06:25And, you know, any time I'm asked about JoJo and her music, I always say,
06:30that kid is laughing all the way to the bank.
06:34Right.
06:34Well, we may see that on Big Brother.
06:36She may go all the way there.
06:38And tell me, could there be such a thing, Abby Lee, as dance dads?
06:43They tried dance dads, but, you know, a bunch of men screaming at a woman, dance teacher.
06:51It really didn't go over with the demographic that was watching the show.
06:55Yeah.
06:56But I'm willing to try it because they did it with another dance teacher, not me.
07:02So, you know, and I'm kind of looking for a husband, so I think I could, you know, field those dads out.
07:09Yes, it would be great.
07:10But season nine, I did eight seasons for the network, and now I shot season nine myself.
07:16It's currently airing on Abby Lee TV.
07:19And JoJo has a huge music tour coming up.
07:23And maybe I'm going to show up at one of those concerts and surprise everyone.
07:27Well, good luck to you.
07:29And thanks for staying up tonight to talk to us.
07:31I know it's a completely different time scale with you.
07:35It's been a delight meeting you and having you on the show.
07:38And good luck with future Dance Moms.
07:42Well, thank you.
07:43Maybe I'll be doing Dance Moms in the UK.
07:46Yeah.
07:47Eamon will be a big fan.
07:48Thank you very much indeed.
07:49Yes.
07:50God bless Abby Lee.