Dancing With The Stars: Anna Delvey new to the program

Con artist Anna Delvey, whose life story was the inspiration for the Netflix series “Inventing Anna,” has signed up as a contestant for “Dancing With The Stars,” the U.S. version of “Strictly Come Dancing.”

In recent years, Delvey – whose real name is Anna Sorokin – has gained notoriety for her crimes while pretending to be a wealthy New York society woman.

This year’s cast of “Dancing With The Stars” also includes two Olympic athletes from the U.S. team – rugby player Ilona Maher, bronze medalist in gymnastics Stephen Nedoroscik – and actress Tori Spelling from “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

Also on the dance floor will be Oscar nominee Eric Roberts and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks.

Sorokin will collaborate with professional dancer Ezra Sosa in the show.

The fraudster was found guilty of theft of services and grand theft in 2019 after defrauding banks and luxury hotels of more than $200,000 (£145,000).

She told People she had a trust fund worth $60 million (£46 million) and an ambitious project to set up an eponymous arts foundation.

In fact, she had recently worked as an intern at a magazine and came from a completely normal family of Russian immigrants living in Germany.

By staying in expensive hotels and showcasing a jet-setting life on Instagram, she managed to get others to believe in her fantasy and pay her bills.

Her story gained international attention in 2018 after author Jessica Pressler published an article in New York Magazine.

It was subsequently adapted into a Netflix series by Shona Rhimes, the creative force behind Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton and Scandal, with Sorokin played by Julia Garner.

Sorokin received $320,000 (£230,000) from Netflix for Inventing Anna, but was unable to keep the money from Netflix because of a New York law that prevents criminals from profiting from her fame.

“I never asked Netflix to buy my story, it just happened,” Sorokin told the BBC in 2021 after her release from prison. “And everything else just spiraled out of control.”