Despite many reports of her diva-like behavior on Dancing with the Stars, Kate Gosselin has at least one fellow mom in her corner: the show's co-host Brooke Burke.
"I have such a soft spot for her," Burke told UsMagazine.com at Thursday's Four Seasons Spa relaunch party in Westlake Village, Calif. "I want her to pull through just as a woman and a mother. I want her to be able to conquer it even if it's only for one night."
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While Burke concedes that the DWTS judges "aren't really making anything up" with their harsh critiques of Gosselin's dance routines, she lamented, "I just wish they would give her a little bit of a break…She has got it a little tougher than everybody else."
Burke, a 38-year-old mother of four, adds that she and Gosselin, 35, have bonded backstage. "She is nice and warm and so kind and approachable. I have this great relationship with her."
"As soon as the cameras go on," Burke admits, "something happens."
Yet production sources report in the new issue of Us Weekly that Gosselin is so standoffish that she has show staffers contact her through her bodyguard. "She acts like a major celebrity," the source says. Adds another: ""Not only is Kate the worst dancer, but she's nasty."
"I haven't seen that side of Kate," Burke claimed. "Not one ounce."
She notes that the reality star — whose new TLC show Twist of Kate has just been announced — is faring well despite a new custody lawsuit from ex-husband Jon.
"I don't know how she is managing it all, honestly," Burke says. "Aside from being scared to death, she's okay."
