Danielle Fishel’s six-year-old son Adler had to deal with his mother’s absence while she competed Dancing with the stars.
Appearing on the Pod meets the world podcast on Monday, the 44-year-old actress said that although things at home seemed to be going well, she quickly realized that her son was going through a tougher time than he was letting on.
“So my family has had to make so many adjustments in our daily lives since I started season 34 of Dancing with the stars” said Fishel, who shares sons Adler, 6, and Keaton, 4, with husband Jensen Karp. “I just can’t be there as often as I used to.”
Before joining the show, Fishel said she was always involved in her children’s routines like school pickups, sports and afternoon activities. But his demanding rehearsal schedule made that unlikely.
One day, she received a call from Adler’s teacher after he told his classmates that his father had lost his job and his mother had died.
“The teacher reached out because she was understandably concerned,” Fishel recalled. “I showed up at school and when he saw me he ran and said, ‘Mom, what are you doing here?’”
Fishel told him she had just come back from rehearsal and wanted to see him. When she mentioned she had to go back later, Adler collapsed.
“He said, ‘I hate this job. Why did you take it? All you do is dance, dance, dance. You’re not hanging out with me and Keaton anymore. I want you to stop,'” Fishel said.
Fishel admitted she was heartbroken, but she remained steadfast. “I told her, ‘Mom loves her job and I’ve made a commitment. It’s not forever, but I’m not going to stop.”
Although Adler was still upset and even slammed the car door when they got home, Fishel said they worked on it as a family.
Fishel, who played the role of Topanga in A boy meets the worldwas eliminated from Dancing with the stars last week.
