Eliminated Strictly Come Dancing star Michelle Visage has shared a farewell message that pretty much sums up everything we loved about her during her time on the show (and, indeed, in general).
In Sunday night’s results show, Michelle found herself in the dance-off for the second time, having pulled in the lowest score of the night in Blackpool with her Couple’s Choice routine, set to Madonna’s Vogue.
The judges unanimously voted to send Michelle home, saving YouTuber Saffron Barker, with Michelle sharing her thoughts on her exit in an emotional Instagram post.
“I’ve learned in this life you must take big risks in order to affect change,” she wrote. “Gio and I chose our Couple’s Choice to Vogue to bring a part of the underground gay ballroom scene to a massive show like Strictly.
“We are SO proud of the dance we did, but for me, it wasn’t about the judges’ scores. It was about shedding light on a group of people who deserve recognition and would otherwise not get it.”
She continued: “I owe my life to the LGBTQIA+ community so as an ally, I try to bring attention to them, their love, their struggles, in any way that I am able to. In this instance it happened to be through dancing and hear this: Voguing IS dancing.
“THANK YOU SO MUCH to EVERYONE for all the love you have shown me on this Strictly journey. Welcoming this 51-year-old mum into their lives through their telly weekly, voting for us, letting this American know she’s welcomed into the British Public has meant SO much to me. I am BEYOND grateful.
“Through this experience I have made great new friends and a partner in Giovanni who will be in my life forever. This experience has been one I’ll cherish FOREVER.”
Insisting she had no regrets about the routine that saw her sent home, Michelle added: “Sometimes in life things matter more than winning and in this case, being an ally and bringing a part of queer culture to 14 million viewers on the BBC is just as good as lifting that Glitterball. I am honoured and proud to go out on that dance.
“For the kids who were disowned by their parents, for those who feel like they aren’t worthy or good enough, for those being bullied and harassed for who they are, for my daughters, I will fight for your rights FOREVER.”
Since landing in the bottom two last week, it’s been a tough week for Michelle, who was forced to speak out to dispel rumours she was “unhappy” with Giovanni, and also admitted she was “gutted” at not having been invited to take part in the upcoming Strictly live tour.
Over the weekend, Michelle shot down rumours that her absence from the tour was due to money, via her representative.
While Michelle may now be gone from the competition, viewers can look forward to seeing her in the final episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, which will debut on BBC Three on Thursday evening.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday night at 7pm on BBC One.
