Hope Solo claims in her new book “Solo: A Memoir of Hope” that her 2011 Dancing with the Stars partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy slapped her across the face during a practice session.
She wrote that he got so angry with her that “he slapped me across the face. Hard. He was extremely apologetic.”
Hope recalled that her ears rang afterward. She also reported that cameras captured the entire incident and ABC offered to remove Maks from the show and give her a new partner, but she declined.
DWTS pro Maks is shocked by the allegation and has told friends that he never slapped the Olympic athlete and the story is completely false.
Maks tweeted yesterday, “Always hated hypocrites and liars…but when someone is both AND an opportunist, I just feel bad for them. Can’t win at someone’s expense.”
The Team USA soccer goalie, who recently won a gold medal at the London Games, states in her book that Chmerkovskiy slapped her in the face while trying to put her head in the correct position for a dance move.
Solo was eliminated in the semi-final round of the competition and appeared nude shortly thereafter in ESPN’s 2011 ‘Body Issue.’
The alleged behind-the-scenes incident apparently didn’t rock her boat too badly because after the finale the two were spotted dining together and she recently tweeted Maks with an offer of free seats at one of Team USA’s soccer games.
Maks has been paired once again with Kirstie Alley for the upcoming DWTS: All-Stars season. She tweeted a response to Solo’s abuse allegation: “I shall bite thine tongue, lest I get into a girl fight that I would surely lose without a hammer in my hand… ouch! bloody tongue.”
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