Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler may have exited "Dance Moms," but six years of their life on the reality show was not without anxiety and pain. So how did the sisters cope with the stress? Their mother, Melissa Gisoni said she put certain rules in place in order to reduce the tension in her household.
Melissa ensured her daughters experienced some semblance of normalcy. For instance, her eldest daughter Maddie went to school at 8 a.m. and rehearsed until 10 p.m. Although many would argue that the routine is hectic for a 13-year-old, Melissa said that her kids were used to it.
Ever since "Dance Moms" premiered on Lifetime, Maddie has been known among her fans as a talented dancer. She gained wider recognition after appearing on Sia's "Chandelier," "Elastic Heart" and more recently, "Cheap Thrills."
The dance prodigy, who was one of the star performers in Abby Lee Miller's Dance Company (ALDC), won the Seriously Popular award beating reality star Kylie Jenner and super model Cara Delevingne at People's Choice Awards 2015.
For Melissa, fame has never been difficult to deal with. She made sure that her kids didn't watch "Dance Moms" when they were still part of the cast. However, it was more difficult to keep them away from the negativity that permeated on social media.
Criticisms from fans and trolls often impelled the Ziegler sisters to say, "Mom people hate me." But Melissa would often protect them from the trolls online by stating that the hate was not personal.
"Kids like 12-year-olds who say mean things to you because they're bored bullies — that was the hardest part of the fame," she said in an interview with Cosmopolitan.
