The 'Dancing With the Stars' pro described Carter as 'one of the most respectful guys' she has ever known on the series.
Nick Carter’s Dancing With the Stars partner, Sharna Burgess, has defended the Backstreet Boy after he was accused of rape by former Dream singer, Melissa Schuman.
In an essay posted on her blog earlier this month, Schuman alleged Carter sexually assaulted her during a visit to his house when she was 18 and he was 22. In a statement issued to ET, the 37-year-old boy bander said he was “shocked and saddened” by the accusations and that Schuman did not express that their actions were non-consensual.
In videos posted on Twitter on Saturday, Burgess praised Carter's character, noting that she was not victim shaming Schuman, but simply wished to share positivity about “one of the most respectful guys that I have ever danced with on the show.”
After describing Carter as “sweet and understanding,” Burgess -- whose partnership with the singer and actor saw them place second on season 21 of the ABC competition series -- pointed out how the pop star has never been one to shy away from his mistakes.
“What I loved about Nick was that he always took ownership of the things that he’d been through -- the darkness in his history, the mistakes that he’d made,” Burgess said. “He wanted to be very open about them and how he felt about them, even though they were very heavy and hard for him to say out loud, so that he could inspire other people to be better and learn from him.”
Burgess also discussed how the “Burning Up” singer treated everyone he encountered with respect during his time on DWTS.
“This guy would treat craft [services] and the PAs and all the crew and grips, and then the dancers to the producers -- everybody was treated the same by Nick,” she said. “No one got more attention than the other and even in the most stressful of moments, not once did he ever speak to anybody badly, demand anything, become a diva or show anything ugly. [He only showed] absolute gratitude for being there and having made it that far, and a passion for working hard and trying to do better.”
“This is me saying, ‘Nick, I adore you. I think you are such a good person from the inside to the out, and I think that that will shine through,'” she added. “I think that the truth always shines through.”
Burgess’ videos came after she received an influx of responses to a tweet promoting a blog posted on fan site, What Happens on the Backstreet, which challenged aspects of Schuman’s allegations and questioned her past actions, such as tweeting Carter heartfelt condolences following the 2012 death of his sister, Leslie.
Meanwhile, Schuman appeared on Friday’s episode of The Dr. Oz Show, in which she discussed her claims further and said she wished Carter “only the best.”
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