Abby Lee Miller Gives Health Update While Re-Learning To Walk

Abby Lee Miller
'Bad Moms' film premiere, Los Angeles, USA - 26 Jul 2016

EXCLUSIVE: Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller doesn’t flinch as a gymnast SOMERSAULTS over her during an outing to an LA beach. The reality TV star, 55, bravely lay back in her wheelchair as the muscular shirtless performer ran towards her then vaulted above her. Miller, who shot to fame as the star of hit show Dance Moms, has been using a wheelchair after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor from her spinal cord after reportedly being diagnosed with a form of cancer called Burkitt Lymphoma. Miller’s visit to the beach in Santa Monica, CA, saw her talking to a man and a woman dressed in workout gear before giving him a series of dance lessons. An onlooker said: “Abby was in great form and started giving the guy dance lessons. "She was teaching him to move and how and when to move his feet and it seemed he was struggling to get the hang of it. It was like she was back on the show Dance Moms and was shouting orders at him to ‘move to the side’ or ‘back right’. She appeared to be trying to teach him ballet just like she did to kids on the series. “It looked the guy had some gymnastic training and so afterwards they did a stunt where he ran at her and somersaulted directly above her.” Miller spent eight seasons on Dance Mom and previously taught Joelle Joanie “Jojo” Siwa. In 2017 she was sentenced to 366 days in prison for bankruptcy fraud. 31 Aug 2021 Pictured: Abbey Lee Miller. Photo credit: KAT/MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA782922_021.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]

Abby Lee Miller, 55, has faced some serious issues with her health in the past couple of years. After beating cancer, the Dance Moms star has been bound to a wheel-chair and is learning to walk again. Speaking to HollywoodLife exclusively on Oct. 19 Abby Lee – who is currently teaching dance classes all over the world on Zoom and is also back on TV for season 3 of Amazon Prime Video’s Gown and Out in Beverly Hills starring Pol’ Atteu and Patrik Simpson – revealed some of the “horrible” trials she’s faced since undergoing spinal surgery in April 2018.

“[During COVID I had] another surgery on my spine — my lumbar region that was the original problem years ago — and that’s why I went to that doctor because my leg was going numb when I was driving in all this LA traffic so I knew something was wrong,” Abby Lee told HL, revealing she had Spondylolisthesis that was getting “worse and worse.” She then shared she had to go into “in-patient rehab” and then undergo restorative surgery.

To make matters worse, Abby Lee noted that, while in Florida, she broke her leg in two places and had to go to the level one trauma unit, causing her doctor to prescribe “no weight bearing” on the leg for three months — setting her back even further.

Abby Lee Miller & Friends — Abby Lee Miller & friends at her dance company. (Patrik Simpson)

Currently, the former reality star said she’s “standing in place” and “marching” compared to “walking 150 steps with the walker,” which was her previous status before her second surgery and broken leg. Her plan? To get out of her wheelchair and walk again. “I need me to coach me,” she stated. “I need an Abby Lee person to whip my butt into shape and make me the best I can be.” For now, Abby Lee aims to be using her walker for her first steps “after the holidays” as a goal.

Of course the journey has been a “very emotional” one for the famed dance teacher, but she remains hopeful. “I need to get back to that 150 steps and standing without my hands and standing with brushing my teeth. I’m starting that now — all that stuff,” she shared.

Perhaps Abby has gained the mental and emotional strength from her past health trials to undergo the current situation with some resilience. In addition to her spinal surgeries, she also had Burkitt lymphoma — a rare form of cancer. Thankfully, her cancer went into remission. “The cancer is completely gone,” she told PEOPLE in May 2019. “I’m more grateful. I’m thankful.”

Abby Lee just is shooting season 3 of Gown and Out in Beverly Hills for the HAPAwards Show. The series, which stars Pol’ Atteu and Patrik Simpson can be seen on Amazon Prime Video.