Abby Lee Miller Calls Maddie Ziegler ‘Angel Face,’ Gushes About ‘Dance Moms’ Star’s Achievements

“Dance Moms” viewers have been privy to Abby Lee Miller’s favoritism of her student Maddie Ziegler since the Lifetime’s show’s debut season in 2011. And while Abby has never denied having a special love for her student and “Dance Moms” co-star, her latest social media post confirms its.

In an Instagram post Sunday night Abby called the 12-year-old Sia music video star an “angel face” and gushed about her talents. Her comments came just hours after Maddie was announced as the third-place runner-up at The Dance Awards' closing ceremony in New York City. “This angel face has taught so many children in [the] world to love what you are doing, to work hard at your craft and to persevere,” she wrote. Abby, who has taught Maddie since she was 2, concluded her post saying she is “very proud” of her student.

Abby’s post marks the second time in a week she has taken to social media to gush about Maddie, who recently signed on as Capezio's ambassador and the face of the dancer wear brand's Betsey Johnson line. Following her visit to Capezio's flagship store in New York City on Thursday, Abby shared a photo of herself standing next to Maddie at the locale. “So proud of the Beautiful Photos of @maddieziegler,” she captioned the shot.

Prior to the event, Abby also took to Instagram to tout Maddie’s 2015 Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Dancer. “Have you voted today?” Abby asked her 1.6 million followers. The post was accompanied by an image of Maddie and the hashtag #choicedancer. Maddie’s former co-star and teammate Chloe Lukasiak is also nominated.

While Abby’s favoritism towards Maddie may be questionable, there is no denying Maddie has found success in the entertainment business in the past year. In May 2014, she debut her starring role in Australian pop singer Sia’s music video “Chandelier.” The video quickly became viral for its unique choreography and led to numerous television appearances for the Lifetime reality star, including “Dancing With the Stars” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

But that’s not all. In January 2015, Sia released her second music video starring Maddie. In the equally controversial project, Maddie danced alongside actor Shia LaBeouf, portraying a wolf. The following month, Maddie performed with Sia and "Saturday Night Live" alum Kristen Wiig at the 2015 Grammys. Sia released her third and final project featuring the “Dance Moms” star, titled “Big Girls Cry," in April.

When Maddie was not busy partnering with Sia, she was exploring other talents, such as acting and modeling. In the past several months she has filmed a guest spots on Disney Channel’s “Austin & Ally" and ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars" and posed for numerous fashion magazines. It's unclear if Maddie will return to her reality TV roots for Season 6 of “Dance Moms." For the time being, fans of the young superstar can tune in to see her dance on Season 5 of "Dance Moms" Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.