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Kelsey Anderson has hit back at fans who questioned pro-dancer Jenna Johnson for the way she was “touching” The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei on Dancing With The Stars.
Anderson shared a video to TikTok on September 19 to discuss her fiancé’s appearance on DWTS, which he’s competing in alongside Johnson. She then defended Graziadei and his co-star after seeing multiple comments from fans about the pair getting close together on the dance floor.
“So many people are like, ‘Kelsey, why is Jenna touching your man like that?’ And honestly, I don’t know, maybe because it’s her job?” she said. “Maybe because she’s a professional dancer and she has to touch him to dance? I don’t know, that’s my understanding of it. I’m just so tired of everyone being like, ‘Kelsey’s so strong, I could not do this, I could not watch this if I was Kelsey.’”
Anderson – who got engaged to Graziadei in the 28th season of The Bachelor – quipped about how her relationship with her fiancé also started with other women involved.
“Let’s do a little recap here. Do y’all remember how Joey and I met? We met on The Bachelor,” she said. “He was dating 31 other women while he was dating me, and I won the Super Bowl ring.”
She reflected on her bond with Graziadei, noting that after her experience on the ABC show, she doesn’t take the criticism she sees online to heart.
“I have to have a certain level of security to go through all that, and Joey and I are still together and strong after a year of all of that craziness,” Anderson added. “Joey also has to be the type of man to give me the reassurance that I need and deserve in our relationship. So we are all good in the hood.”
Anderson said if she could “survive” seeing her partner date different women on The Bachelor, she could “survive watching him dance with a married woman with a cute little baby boy.”
She concluded by praising her partner’s moves on Dancing with the Stars. “He is killing it, I don’t know if y’all saw those hips on Tuesday,” she said. “But you’ll see them next Tuesday.”
In the caption, she wrote: “Let’s keep it cute ladies and gents.”
Many fans and famous faces in the comments have praised Anderson’s candid message, including Johnson, who wrote: “That’s my girl right there,” along with heart eye emojis.
“It’s called a SECURE relationship! Most people don’t know what that is! Love you both so much! Voting for Joey!” one fan commented.
“Joey is so respectful about y’all relationship,” another can wrote. “I can totally tell that he’s just so excited to see you after all his endeavors.”
Following his debut on DWTS on September 17, Graziadei told People: “I’m so lucky to have a supportive fiancée. I texted her immediately after I was done and said, ‘Did I make you proud?’ I just want her to be so happy with how I do this season, but also she’s giving a lot to be here with me, and I know I’m gone a lot, too.”
He also shared that while he was “very nervous” before his first dance, he was happy about how it went and was looking forward to working with Johnson while on the show.
“It’s nice to have [partner Jenna Johnson] as a safe space and [I’m] trying to just hone in and hopefully breathe,” he said. “But we got through it. I felt great about it, and it’s nice to get one done.”
