Lifetime's hit reality show Dance Moms might be the stepping stone for projecting starlets to fame, from Maddie Ziegler to Chloe Lukasiak, but the focus (and drama) of the show has always been on the moms.
While the series is all about the moms clashing with dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, behind the scenes there are loving and supportive dads in the picture too — they just prefer to remain off camera!
Although the dads tend to take a backseat to all the hoopla over dance competitions, if you're crazy enough to stalk them on Instagram or Facebook, you'll know that the majority of them are very supportive of their famous daughters' careers. Greg Gisoni, Maddie's stepdad, is so encouraging of her fame, she even admits that he's more present in her life than her father, Kurt Ziegler, was.
“I don’t see as much of my dad, I live with my stepdad, who’s awesome," she said. "He’s like my best friend. I usually see my dad on holidays, like Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve – definitely not Christmas though, because all my presents are at my house.”
Maddie's mother, Melissa Gisoni, blames Dance Moms for ruining her first marriage to Kurt. “My ex-to-be claims that dance has ruined our marriage," Melissa said back in 2011. It was made clear that Kurt did not want his daughters, Maddie and Mackenzie, on the show at all.
Despite the family drama of the Zieglers, what most fans want to know is if Abby has a husband. The answer? She doesn't. She was once rumored to be married to communications specialist Michael Padula, but Abby later explained that it was just a misunderstanding.
“No, wait, wait, wait, just let me explain," she said at the time. "My mother was very ill, and she just passed away… I just think it was a comfort thing for her to know there was somebody.”
Check out the gallery below to see what the other husbands of Dance Moms look like.
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