It seems Abby Lee Miller has a lot of reasons to be thankful for "Dance Moms." The hit Lifetime reality series has not only made her a TV star but also seems to have saved her from losing the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC).

TMZ reported Monday that Miller, 47, filed for bankruptcy in December of 2010, with court documents indicating that the tyrannical teacher of “Dance Moms” fame owed more than $400,000. According to the report, Miller claimed assets (which included her now-deceased and stuffed dog, Broadway Baby) of an estimated $325,000.

So what happened to the ALDC matriarch? Allegedly, Miller's money troubles occurred after she fell behind on paying her real estate taxes and was facing foreclosure. Not only was Miller’s home, mortgaged for $245,000, in jeopardy, but she was also in danger of losing her Pittsburgh-based dance school. “She claimed customer interest in her studio had waned,” reads the TMZ report, which stated that $106,000 of Miller's debt was due to the famous dance studio.

But the show saved her. Miller reportedly finished paying off her debts on New Year’s Eve after a three-year battle, all thanks to her “Dance Moms” paychecks following the show's premiere in 2011. Miller, who opened her East Coast dance studio in 1980 when she was a teenager, has a reported net worth of over $2 million.

Miller made headlines last week for reportedly ordering her customer, former student, and fellow "Dance Moms" star Kelly Hyland to be arrested in New York this past November following a physical scuffle. According to a separate TMZ report, Hyland, mother to "ALDC" elite competition dancer Brooke Hyland, 15, and Paige Hyland, 13, was arrested for assaulting and harassing Miller during a “catfight.” The 42-year-old “Dance Moms” star has reportedly not been officially charged.

“Dance Moms” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

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