Abby Lee Miller, who rose to fame and fortune as the star of Lifetime’s Dance Moms and notoriously fell from grace after being indicted for 20 counts of fraud in 2015 and subsequently serving one year of prison time, is reportedly pushing herself too hard as she readies herself for a return to reality television after being diagnosed with cancer in early 2018.
Radar Online reported that the reality star is “stretching herself too thin” and “working from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.” The source also cited to the entertainment news outlet that “her doctors are telling her to stop, but she needs the show and the money for a comeback.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Melucci remarked during Miller’s 2016 trial that the Dance Moms star “intended to cause harm to her creditors by deliberately misrepresenting her income on bankruptcy filings in 2012,” reported Deadline .
E! News reported that shortly after Miller was released from prison, she was diagnosed with cancer. Since her diagnosis, reported E! , Miller had two spinal surgeries and underwent five rounds of chemotherapy. She was formally diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a type of cancer that specifically targets the blood and immune system.
Miller posted photos of her return to the set of Dance Moms Resurrection on her Instagram page in November 2018. She was seated in a wheelchair. Radar also alleges that Miller is still regaining her strength and that she might not be physically ready for the demands she is reportedly putting her body through. Another source told the outlet that they were worried about the long hours and travel demands readying the show for its debut may have on Miller’s weakened body.
Miller recently noted on her Instagram page that she is in rehabilitation three days a week at Healthsouth Harmarville Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In a new trailer for the show’s current season, Miller is seen putting on her wig, as she has lost much of her hair since her cancer diagnosis. She tried to maintain a sense of humor about the personal tragedies she has faced by quipping that she needed to go back to teaching and “screaming at children.”
The dance school owner was known for her no-holds-barred methods of teaching. From her studio, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she produced some of the most charismatic and talented dancers in the world of professional competition including Jo Jo Sliwa, Maddie Ziegler, Mackenzie Ziegler, Chloe Lukasiak, Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, and Nia Frazier.