Alan Bersten is refuting Kaitlyn Bristowe’s claims about his behavior on Dancing with the Stars.
Earlier this month, Bristowe — who won season 29 of DWTS with her partner Artem Chigvintsev — discussed the professional dancer on an episode of her Off the Vine podcast with fellow Bachelorette alum Charity Lawson, who is set to compete with Chigvintsev this season.
“He’s kind of a d — -, but I can see it,” Bristowe, 38, told Lawson, 27. “Well, they’re all d — -s, They’re all d — -s, I’m telling you. Buckle up.” She added that Bersten is “crazy in the ballroom.”
On Wednesday, the 29-year-old ballroom dancer, who took home the mirrorball trophy with The Bachelorette’s Hannah Brown in season 28, responded to Bristowe’s accusation. He denied her claims, emphasizing that he takes a “lot of pride” in his work and making his dancing partners feel comfortable.
“First of all, I never danced with Kaitlyn, so I don’t know why that would even come up,” he told on Wednesday. “I take a lot of pride in my work and I make sure that above all else, my partners feel comfortable and confident in themselves.”
However, the ballroom champion also added that he “kind of” took Bristowe’s words as a compliment.
The Bachelorette star seemed to try to clarify her words on Saturday, calling Bersten one of her “closest friends” from the ABC series.
“I can be a d — -. We can all be d — -s,” she wrote in a since-deleted post on her Instagram Story, in response to a question. “Alan is one of my closest friends from the show.”
“I have nothing but love and respect for him,” she continued. “I think it’s OK to be a d — — and push people to believe in themselves and light a fire.”
Bersten is currently paired with alum and singer Jamie Lynn Spears for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars.
At the time her casting was announced on Good Morning America , Spears, 32, admitted that she wasn’t fully “ready” for the experience but had full intentions of donating her weekly earnings to SAG-AFTRA and the WGA amid their ongoing strike.
“I don’t know if one can ever be 100% ready to take on something this big; I didn’t realize what a commitment it is, but it definitely is. I’m ready to challenge myself,” she said, later adding, “While everybody else in my community is on strike, I have this unique opportunity where I was offered a chance to work when my community cannot work. So I figured I’ll do this and I will donate my weekly salary… to just give back to them at a time where they can’t give back to themselves.”
With rehearsals underway, Bersten said the two had already bonded. “We had our first rehearsal and it was great,” he said. “Jamie Lynn is so hard-working and so dedicated and it’s actually so much fun. We get along so well.”
“He’s been wonderful,” Spears added. “My family got to meet him and he’s been great. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars premieres Tuesday, Sept. 26 on ABC, and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
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