When Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy were voted off "Dancing With the Stars" on Nov. 15, the 30-year-old soccer player was so distraught she refused to speak to reporters backstage.
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The athlete broke her silence during a Tuesday appearance on "Anderson," where Solo told host Anderson Cooper she felt "very naive" during her time on the ABC show.
"It is very much reality television. From day one, they (cast) our characters," she said.
Though she frequently sparred with Chmerkovskiy, 31, Solo insisted "Maks and I were great friends and we had an endearing relationship."
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Solo felt that the three judges -- Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli -- were wary of her from the beginning.
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"I was told I had too much muscle and I was too intense and wasn't very dainty. Well, hello -- you cast a female professional athlete! Help me get better as a dancer," she said. "There's no hard feelings at all. I understand that it's television."