Katie Piper has said she has no regrets about taking part in Strictly Come Dancing as it has taught her she can “put herself out there” and let go.
The acid attack survivor battled nerves early in the competition but said she was feeling more confident last weekend.
However, she and her professional partner Gorka Marquez were shown the door on Sunday after a dance-off against Charles Venn and Karen Clifton.
The results annoyed many viewers, who thought comedian Seann Walsh and his partner Katya Jones should get the chop from the BBC One show following their kiss scandal.
"She's an absolute inspiration to all of us" 💗Hear Hear! We'll miss you @KatiePiper_ 💃 #Strictly pic.twitter.com/jFKtLs7vKG
— BBC Strictly✨ (@bbcstrictly) October 14, 2018
Speaking on spin-off show It Takes Two, Piper said she had appreciated the support from fans, saying: “It has kind of taught me that even if you are not good at something or you don’t feel confident in something you can put yourself out there.
“And although I’ve been eliminated, I’ve got loads of positive memories, and I’ve learned stuff about myself, so I don’t regret one bit of it.
“If it wasn’t for the support of the public I wouldn’t have been able to get past those nerves on week one.”
Piper, 35, told host Zoe Ball she had been feeling “quite optimistic” ahead of Saturday’s jive, as her confidence was growing.
“Having that good week in movie week, I really enjoyed that and let go, so then coming back for the jive, the nerves were diminishing,” she said.
“Shame the musicality wasn’t increasing!
“But yes, I was able to actually experience letting myself go a bit and that was nice.
“RIP Team Gorka.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One.