Leah Remini: Church of Scientology Wants Me 'to Fail' on 'Dancing With the Stars'
A celebrity who publicly left the Church of Scientology has recently stated that she believes the controversial sect wants her "to fail" on the celebrity dance competition show "Dancing With the Stars."
Leah Remini, a television actress who is one of the contestants, told her professional dancing partner on Monday's episode that the Church of Scientology wants to make an example of her.
"The church is looking for me to fail, so they say to their parishioners, 'See what happens when you leave the church?'" said Remini to Tony Dovolani.
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The episode where Remini makes these remarks comes a week after the former "King of Queens" star was supposed to give a deposition for a lawsuit against the Church.
The wife of an auditor who was formerly a high-ranking member of the Church filed a harassment suit against the sect back in August.
"She has been subjected to numerous, aggressive attempts to intimidate her… She has been targeted at home, at work, and anywhere else that she happens to be," reads the lawsuit in part.
"She has been harassed, insulted, surveilled, photographed, videotaped, defamed, and humiliated to such a degree as to shock the conscience of any decent, law-abiding person."
Remini was expected to deliver a deposition, but lawyers for the Scientology Church were able to get the deposition "indefinitely postponed," reported Melissa Cronin of radaronline.com.
"The darkest secrets of Scientology will stay hidden for now, since an explosive deposition by former Church member Leah Remini has been indefinitely postponed," wrote Cronin.
Since publicly deciding to leave the Church of Scientology in July after 30 years of membership, Remini and the sect have been in an ongoing back-and-forth.
Celebrities still affiliated with Scientology have reportedly distanced themselves from Remini since her departure, while other ex-Scientologists standing by her side.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in September, Remini explained that she had opted to leave in part because her "eyes opened."
"My mother got involved when we were very young so it's all we ever really knew but over time my eyes opened and I just could no longer be affiliated with the organization and my family felt the same so we left," said Remini on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
As for the current season of "Dancing With the Stars," for the first round Remini appears to be safe. ABC News blogs reports that former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson was the first elimination.
