Kelsey Anderson tears up defending Joey Graziadei relationship

The Bachelor alum Kelsey Anderson has broken down into tears when defending her relationship with fiance and Dancing with the Stars contestant Joey Graziadei.

Joey and his Dancing with the Stars pro partner Jenna Johnson performed a sweet Viennese waltz dedicated to Kelsey during the show's October 15 episode, and when the routine was over, cameras panned to Kelsey, who appeared unenthused in the audience.

A TikTok user weighed in on Kelsey's reaction and speculated in a video, "Something was off there with Joey and Kelsey."

Kelsey took to TikTok and addressed that woman's video, sharing, "I still feel like I'm very new to having a relationship in the public eye."

"And, you know, sometimes it stinks whenever people want to pick it apart, but I'm thankful for all the great things that it's brought me like Joey and the amazing opportunities that we've been able to share together," she said.

Kelsey continued to shut down rumors that her romance with The Bachelor 28 star is on the rocks.

"People like to assume things and sometimes it's hard for me not to say something back," she admitted.

"I feel the need to say something back, and so I'm going to, because I feel like it's going to make me feel better."

Kelsey explained that "Dedication Night" on Dancing with the Stars tugged at her heartstrings because a couple of the celebrities honored their mothers.

Kelsey had previously shared on The Bachelor's 28th season that her mother, Denise Anderson, died in 2018.

"So it was a hard night for me seeing how I lost my mom six years ago to breast cancer," Kelsey said, getting choked up.

"I really resonated with a lot of these stories of having amazing moms and all of these things. It struck a nerve for me. So I was a little emotional."

Kelsey therefore conceded that the TikTok user who had criticized her was "right" in thinking "something's not right" after all.

"I was missing my mom a little extra," Kelsey confessed.

"And Joey's dance was so beautiful. It meant a lot to me and it did make me emotional, because he dedicated it to me, so I wasn't grinning ear to ear."

Kelsey also admitted that she "gets a lot of anxiety" before Joey performs each week on Dancing with the Stars.

"Sometimes I get a little lightheaded during them," Kelsey noted with tears in her eyes.

"Whenever the [Dancing with the Stars camera] got me, I was smiling with my mouth closed, but I was still so proud of him."

She added, "I just was in my feelings a little bit with how special it was and also missing my mom."

Kelsey concluded her video by suggesting, "Maybe we should just focus more on positives and not always assume the worst of things. So yeah, that's all."

In the caption of Kelsey's post, she encouraged fans not to slam the TikTok user who had posted the original video.

"Pls don't to go hate on this person," Kelsey wrote. "Let's spread more love."

Joey, for his part, apparently wishes he had gone about his dedication to Kelsey in a different way.

"I messed up," Joey told Us Weekly last week. "Every week, as soon as I get home, and I have a good version of our dance... I show Kelsey."

The former The Bachelor star said he "didn't even think twice" about showing Kelsey his "Dedication Night" routine prematurely.

"As soon as I got home, I was like, 'Oh, we crushed it at practice today. I want to show it to her.' And then, Jenna told me, 'Why did you show it? It can't be a surprise anymore.' I was like, 'Oh,'" Joey recalled.

"I love keeping [Kelsey] a part of the process. But if there was ever a week I should have had it hidden, it was definitely this one."

This isn't the first time Kelsey has spoken out and defended her relationship with Joey during his stint on Dancing with the Stars.

Kelsey previously made it known that she's not jealous of his partnership with Jenna, nor is she worried about Joey and his pro partner's chemistry or onstage flirtation.

Joey and Jenna's Viennese waltz on Dancing with the Stars' October 15 episode was set to Teddy Swims' "Lose Control."

The Dancing with the Stars partners tied for first place on the judges' leaderboard with NFL player Danny Amendola and his pro partner Witney Carson. Both couples earned 36 out of 40 possible points from DWTS judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough as well as guest judge Mark Ballas.

Supermodel Brooks Nader and her pro partner Gleb Savchenko were eliminated at the end of the performance show.

Dancing with the Stars' next episode, featuring Disney Night, is set to air on Tuesday, October 22 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.