Sasha Pieterse opens up about weight gain and Twitter backlash on DWTS episode

Sasha Pieterse, known for her role of Alison Dilaurentis in TV show Pretty Little Liars, has been a promising actor since the age of 12. Yet that didn't stop her from getting shamed and blasted by people on social media, all because the actress gained a few extra pounds due to a health condition.

Also read: 'Pretty Little Liars' Season 6 Spoilers: Will Charles Succeed in Luring Alison into the Dollhouse? 

With the ABC series finally over, and Sasha all pumped to show her moves on Dancing With the Stars, the 21-year-old actress opens up after announcing she's feeling rather relieved.

On Tuesday's episode of Dancing With The Stars, Sasha surprised and shocked fans and followers of the show when she had an emotional moment talking about her weight gain. She gained "70-ish pounds" over the span of two years due to a hormonal imbalance caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

As expected, Twitter trolls gave her a terrible time for it. That was until she hit them back with a lengthy message on Twitter.

"There was major backlash on social media. People were actually angry that I had gained weight, I was being (and still am) called names, made fun of, the (unfortunate) usual but it wasn't until people started asking and assuming I was pregnant that I decided to say something."

Sasha's authenticity and speaking about the issue is what touched both fans and her samba partner Gleb Savchenko. He seemed truly moved by her struggles, especially as someone whose every move gets criticized on social media, even if they have no control over it.

"[It was] one of the hardest things I've ever been through," Sasha admitted. "I had no idea what was going on and I didn't have any way of solving it." The star has shown remarkable change ever since she joined the competition, including a 15 kg weight loss! "Now, I'm seeing results," she said. "I think most importantly, I'm feeling like me again."

This is what Sasha's full message on Twitter said:

While her performances have been earning rave reviews from both judges and viewers, Sasha opened up to E! News about how relieved she is. "Honestly, it's a big relief. I'm glad that people know and it really is about awareness and letting that sit for people that may have it and they don't know."

Sasha also spoke up about how she hopes her performance and speaking up motivates enough women suffering from the same condition, to seek medical treatment. "I really want women who have this to figure it out because it really does affect you later in life," she said.

"It can lead to ovarian cancer and infertility and breast cancer and all kinds of things. So the fact that I have that platform and he incorporated that into the dance and we did it and we performed it and it felt awesome is all I can ask for."

Her dance partner Gleb was quick to add, "I'm so proud of Sasha. I was so excited after the dance!"

As must be all her fans, to finally see her doing things she loves without suffering unnecessary backlash. And for those of you dying in frustration over the possible PLL spinoff that the series finale ended with, Sasha has news for you too!

As announced by FreeForm earlier this week, Sasha and Janel Parrish (Mona Vandevaal from PLL) will return for Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Both will play their original characters from the show.