Abby Lee Miller Responds to Maddie Ziegler's 'Dance Moms' Digs: 'I Know What I Did for Maddie'

Photo: Steven Ferdman/Getty While crediting Ziegler, now 19, for her hard work, Miller said, “What I don’t understand [about] the pressure, the ‘toxic’ situation — if it was so toxic, why did you keep doing it? I had to, I tried to quit many a time, and I was forced to come back to set because I signed a contract.” And though Ziegler toldCosmoshe “really tried to leave for the last three seasons” of her six-season run on the Lifetime show, which aired for eight seasons from 2011 to 2019, Miller said in her video: “Newsflash: the kids in the original cast never had a contract.

Abby Lee Miller Returns to 'Dance Moms Resurrection' Amid Cancer Battle

In an exclusive trailer of Lifetime’s upcomingDance Moms Resurrection, the 52-year-old reality star gets candid about her cancer struggle and reveals just how she regained the strength to do what she loves – teach dance. “I need to get back to teaching and I need to get back to screaming at children,” she adds. “I need to get back to my roots. I’m going to take these kids right back to the turf.

Abby Lee Miller Reveals She's Cancer Free and Hopes to Walk Again: 'I Feel Like I Have More to Do'

“The cancer is completely gone,” the Dance Moms star, 53, told PEOPLE while promoting the upcoming season of the hit Lifetime show. “I’m more than grateful. I’m thankful. I was always grateful but I think I must say ‘Thank you’ a hundred times a day because I have to rely on strangers; someone to open the door, someone to get the hanger off the rack at the department store, someone to pick up my phone if I drop it.

Abby Lee Miller Says 'It's Fine to Do Whatever I Want to Do' in Explosive New 'Dance Moms' Trailer

In a PEOPLE exclusive trailer of Lifetime’s upcoming season ofDance Moms, the 52-year-old has returned to her roots: teaching dance while breaking hearts along the way. “As a dancer, you put your heart out there every day,” she tells the young members of her team. “Somebody is going to stab it.” Lifetime “I fought hard to be here,” she continues. “You have to fight to be a champion.” In trueDance Momsfashion, the trailer teases plenty of tears, parent rivalries, and, of course, Miller’s choice words for both the moms and the kids, including telling a parent that her child “sucks.

Abby Lee Miller Says She's 'Thankful' for Fans' Continued Support Amid Her Health Struggle

As the formerDance Momsstar, 52, celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, she made sure to let all of her followers know how grateful she felt for their support. “Gobble! Gobble! Let’s do this!” shewroteon Instagram, alongside a silly shot of herself preparing to nibble on a multi-colored ear of corn. “I’m thankful for each and every on[e] of you!!!” she added. In a separate post, she alsomentionedhow “this is the perfect time of year to be THANKFUL for all the wonderful people in your life,” as she gave a special shout out to her part-time assistant.