Sailor Brinkley-Cook, who took over her mother's spot on "Dancing with the Stars" at the last minute after Christie Brinkley bowed out due to an injury, is laughing off rumors about what, supposedly, really happened.
The 21-year-old model joined the show after her supermodel mom announced an arm injury had taken her out of contention.
In her first two weeks, Brinkley-Cook has scored a pair of 18s out of 30, placing her in the middle of the pack, tied with four other teams. On the leaderboard, she sits behind Hannah Brown and James Van Der Beek, but by only a handful of points.
"I mean, like, whoever spews hatred needs more love," Brinkley-Cook told People magazine backstage during week two of the show.
(MORE: Christie Brinkley's daughter Sailor on stunning 'Dancing With the Stars' performance: 'I did it for my mom')We wish @SeaBrinkley a speedy recovery! Welcome to the ballroom @SBrinkleyCook! #DWTS pic.twitter.com/x1ukO38DAV
— Dancing with the Stars (@DancingABC) September 16, 2019
Brinkley-Cook laughed off one rumor specifically, which was floated by talk-show host Wendy Williams on her show earlier this month: that Brinkley stepped aside so her daughter could star on the show.
“I was super proud of her especially cause she really stood her ground,” Brinkley-Cook said of her mother. “She spoke the truth."
"Wendy has really supported her through a lot of crazy stuff, and for her to come out and say something negative about this situation really was shocking," she continued. "Like I was like, ‘Really?'”
Williams has not yet addressed the comments.
Last week, Brinkley announced her departure from the show and told "GMA" just how serious the injury was.
.@SBrinkleyCook’s Rumba brought the heat 😍 🔥 #DWTS pic.twitter.com/uZuiv31ToK
— Dancing with the Stars (@DancingABC) September 24, 2019
"I wish I was still part of the cast," she said. "It was major surgery."
(MORE: Christie Brinkley's daughter takes her mom's place on 'Dancing with the Stars')For her part, Brinkley-Cook said she was apprehensive to take over just days before the premiere, but that she wanted to make her mother proud.
"She loved doing this," she said of her mom. "She loves dancing and she loves performing and getting hurt was her worst nightmare."
