Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro star Stephani Sosa has broken her silence after accidentally injuring now-eliminated competitor Natalie Jolley.
“That was really hard for me,” Stephani, 26, began during the Thursday, July 30, episode of the “Viall Files” podcast. “I know Natalie, like, personally. We went to the same dance studio, and it just broke my heart that she left the competition early.”
She continued, “It was a really hard week for me because I just felt horrible, and she’s such a beautiful dancer in person. It was really hard for me.”
Stephani accidentally struck Natalie, 20, in the face while rehearsing for a group number on the Monday, July 27, episode of The Next Pro. After sustaining a black eye, Natalie was eliminated from the competition following medical advice.
Ezra Sosa is defending his sister, Stephani Sosa, after she accidentally injured fellow competitor Natalie Jolley on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, resulting in the contestant’s elimination. “My sister apologized to Natalie [and] they didn’t air it,” the DWTS pro, 25, commented on a Tuesday, July 28, TikTok video showcasing the moment Stephani, […]
“I did go up to her and check on her,” Stephani recalled on Thursday’s episode. “I was just telling her how sorry I am ‘cause I felt so bad. I know how hard she’s worked to be there, you know, we all worked really hard, so that broke my heart. I’m just sending her so much love.”
In the months since The Next Pro wrapped, Stephani reconnected with Natalie.
“We actually worked together before the show [came out],” Stephani added. “She’s like a little sis. It’s cute.”
Stephani, the sister of DWTS pro Ezra Sosa and a former troupe dancer herself, joined The Next Pro for a chance to return to the ballroom on the upcoming season 35.
Natalie Jolley. Disney/Vince Valitutti
“It would mean everything to me. Growing up, my family sacrificed a lot for [Ezra and I] to dance and all of the sacrifices that my parents made … would be a dream come true,” Stephani gushed of the chance to become a pro on the beloved dance competition. “We used to sit down as a family and watch it, and then me and Ezra would be like, ‘That’s gonna be us.’”
Stephani acknowledged that she was able to “live out that dream” during her brief stint in troupe after Ezra’s own promotion to pro.
“That year was so surreal,” she said. “If I don’t win [The Next Pro], I would love to still be a part of the show in any way. It’s, like, my dream to be on that show and being on troupe was the biggest dream come true for me. I do feel like me and Ezra are meant to work together, like, we just grew up doing this together. If — God forbid — I’m not a part of it, [I want to] continue my journey, growing. I grew so much from last year. Even doing Next Pro, I grew so much as a person [and] as a dancer. I just want to see how far I can go, and whatever’s meant to happen is my path.”
Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
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