Michelle Visage has issued a passionate defence of her final Strictly routine before she was eliminated from the competition.
The reality TV star performed a vogueing routine to Madonna classic “Vogue” on Saturday 16 November but ended up in the dance-off against Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard. After performing their respective routines again, Visage was unanimously voted off by the judges.
Craig Revel Horwood admitting that it was “really difficult” to choose who send home.
Sharing a message on Instagram, Visage said she was “proud” to leave the show following her performance with professional dance partner Giovanni.
“We are SO proud of the dance we did, but for me, it wasn’t about judges scores,” she wrote. “It was about shedding light on a group of people who deserve recognition and would otherwise not get it.
“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 dance and hear this: Voguing IS dancing.”
She added: “For the kids who 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.”
Giovanni paid tribute to his celebrity partner while admitting they had clashed in the past.
“We laugh, we cry, we fight and we argue and we’ve done everything but I’ve loved every single second,” he said. “I think you are inspirational.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues next Saturday at 7pm on BBC One
