Maddie Ziegler says her mother apologized for putting her through 'Dance Moms' as a child: 'None of us knew how crazy it would get'

• Maddie Ziegler opened up about the lasting effects of starring on "Dance Moms" as a child.
• She said her mother recently apologized for putting her (and her little sister) through the reality show.

Maddie Ziegler is getting candid about growing up on the TV show "Dance Moms" — and how it continues to affect her mental health.

In the newest episode of Emily Ratajkowski's podcast, "High Low With EmRata," Ziegler revealed that her mother, Melissa Gisoni, recently apologized for putting their family through the intense experience. (Ziegler's little sister, Mackenzie Ziegler, also played a role on the reality show.)

"Last year, I was having a really bad panic attack and I called my mom and things were coming up from the past, and she apologized to me," Ziegler told Ratajkowski. "She was like, 'I'm so sorry I put you through that.'"

She added: "It's so sad because she would never want to hurt us, but none of us knew how crazy it would get."

"Dance Moms," which premiered on Lifetime in 2011, followed a group of talented young girls and their hyper-competitive mothers.

The series focused heavily on Ziegler as the star student of the Abby Lee Dance Company. The children were pitted against each other, with Ziegler often topping Abby Lee Miller's infamous pyramid ranking.

Ziegler, who was just 7 years old while filming the first season, also said producers would feed her lines to sow drama.

"When I was doing the show, in the first season I was 7, there were male producers saying, 'This is what you have to say,'" she told Ratajkowski. "My mom wasn't in the room, so I was like, 'OK, I just have to do whatever I'm being told.' They would say, 'Say you're the best, say you're better than everyone else, say blah blah blah.'"

Ziegler, now 20, said she was "perceived as a little brat in the first season" because the show made it seem like she was "the most well-treated dancer" at the company.

"I remember we watched the first episode at a viewing party for the launch of the show, and I just cried because I was like, 'Oh my gosh. Everyone thinks I'm this bitch and I'm not. I'm 7!'" she said. "It was so weird. It helped me a lot to be able to be like, 'I can say no. I can stand up for myself.' But being so young, you don't realize all those things."

"Looking back — and a lot of people have started to say this — it's like, 'Wow, she actually had the most pressure on her,' because she was like, 'You're my girl, so you have to lead everyone to victory every time,' which is just not sustainable," Ziegler continued, referring to Miller.

These days, Ziegler is best known for being the "muse" of chart-topping singer Sia. She has starred in several popular music videos, including "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart," and recently performed alongside Sia during a surprise appearance at Coachella.

In fact, Sia helped get Ziegler out of her "Dance Moms" contract when they began working together. Ziegler was still just 11 years old at the time.

"[My mom] really did everything to try to break our contract and pull us out, and eventually did with the help of Sia," Ziegler told Ratajkowski.

"She really felt like a guardian angel to me at that time," Ziegler added. "She saved me, from the show and everything I was doing."