Who is Anna Delvey and why is she on Dancing with the Stars?

Many will recognise her name and story from Netflix's Inventing Anna, meaning there is a lot more to Delvey's partaking in the series than other contestants', as she has an ankle monitor on at all times - a show first for Dancing with the Stars.

So, who is Anna Delvey and how is she allowed to take part on Dancing with the Stars? Read on for everything you need to know.

Who is Anna Delvey?

Age: 33

Job: Artist

Instagram: @theannadelvey

Anna Delvey (née Sorokin) is an artist who rose to notoriety after posing as an heiress to con banks, hotels and members of New York's high society out of large amounts of money.

As depicted in the Netflix series Inventing Anna, Delvey scammed a number of acquaintances out of thousands of dollars by making promises to pay for plane tickets and hotels and "forgetting" to pay them back, claiming her family would wire transfer the funds in order to pay them back.

In 2019, a jury found Delvey guilty on eight charges, including of grand larceny in the second degree and theft of services. She was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison, fined $24,000 and ordered to pay $199,000 in restitution.

She was released from prison in 2021.

Delvey is currently under house arrest in New York City and is wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor, which has been bedazzled during her time on the show.

How is Anna Delvey allowed to appear on Dancing with the Stars?

With the 33-year-old being on house arrest, is begs the question, how she is allowed to leave New York City to compete in the series?

Delvey confirmed to Women's Wear Daily that she was granted permission to travel to Los Angeles to film the dancing show.

"Anytime someone is under house arrest [it] is because there is a pending criminal investigation or for some punishment," she told the publication.

"I was under house arrest purely for immigration. I had served my criminal time and I had repaid my restitution, even though they keep spreading this false info that I owe so many people so much money.

"But when you ask who and how much, nobody can come up with anything."

Who is Anna Delvey's partner on Dancing with the Stars?

Anna Delvey has been paired with Ezra Sosa on Dancing with the Stars 2024.

Ezra joined the show in 2021 for its 30th season but did not have a celebrity partner. Anna Delvey marks Ezra's first celebrity partner on the show.

What has Anna Delvey said about appearing on Dancing with the Stars?

In her introduction to the series, Delvey didn't shy away from her past, and said (via Entertainment Weekly): "In 2017, I was accused of multiple kinds of grand larceny. I did serve my time. And Dancing with the Stars is a way for me to show people a different side of me.

"My prior history shows I'm pretty determined. It's a quality to channel into something positive."

She continued: "I hope that everybody who feels negatively about me, that I will be able to turn their opinion of me around.

"I've reinvented myself many times, and this time, I'm going to be a ballroom dancer."

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