Dancing With the Stars pro Alan Bersten is weighing in on former champ Kaitlyn Bristowe’s claims about his ballroom behavior.
“First of all, I never danced with Kaitlyn, so I don’t know why that would even come up,” Bersten, 29, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 20, while promoting the launch of his Berst10 Fitness program. “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.”
Bristowe, 38, made waves earlier this month during an episode of her “Off the Vine” podcast when she offered fellow Bachelorette alum Charity Lawson a warning about pros Bersten and Artem Chigvintsev, the latter whom Bristowe won the season 29 mirrorball with. (Lawson, 27, is partnered with Chigvintsev, 41.)
“He’s kind of a d—k, but I can see it. Well, they’re all d—ks. They’re all d—ks, I’m telling you. Buckle up,” Bristowe quipped, also calling Bersten “crazy in the ballroom.”
Bersten, for his part, told Us on Wednesday that he “kind of” took Bristowe’s words as a compliment.
Bristowe has since clarified her remarks. “I can be a d—k. We can all be d—ks. Alan is one of my closest friends from the show,” she wrote during an Instagram Story Q&A on Saturday, September 16. “I have nothing but love and respect for him. I think it’s OK to be a d—k and push people to believe in themselves and light a fire.”
Bersten won Dancing With the Stars: Junior in 2018 with mentees Sky Brown and JT Church one year before he took home the DWTS mirrorball trophy with former Bachelorette Hannah Brown in season 28.
Now, Bersten is paired with Jamie Lynn Spears ahead of this fall’s DWTS season 32. (The season premiere was slated to broadcast live on Thursday, September 28, but has since been postponed amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.)
“When I tell you [that] you can’t teach people to be passionate or to care or to be kind, and she is so kind, she’s so caring and she really tries so hard,” he said of the 32-year-old actress’ work ethic. “I can’t give her enough compliments because she really comes in and works.”
In addition to DWTS, Bersten is preparing to share his training tips via his Berst10 Fitness program. Its website launched in August, with Apple Store and Google Play apps coming out later this year. Prospective users can sign up for a 7-day free trial for unlimited plans starting at $12.99 monthly or $120.99 yearly.
“It’s 10 minutes a day. I honestly created [it] because I want everyone to be able to be physically active for 10 minutes a day as a minimum,” Bersten explained to Us, noting he still gets a “really good sweat” despite the brief routine. “If you want to do more, do more, but it’s a good way to start or even supplement your current exercise routines.”
He continued: “I just think if everyone was able to work out and had the right guidance, then everyone will feel better about themselves. Fitness is not just physical, it’s also mental, and so I think they go hand in hand together. I just want to be able to guide people into their workout routine.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
