Michelle Visage thanks BBC for 'bringing a part of queer culture' to Strictly

Michelle Visage is "so proud" of her final \'Strictly Come Dancing\' performance after "shedding light on a group of people who deserve recognition".

The \'Strictly Come Dancing\' star, who was eliminated on Sunday night\'s show (17.11.19), danced a Street Commercial with pro partner Giovanni Pernice to Madonna\'s \'Vogue\' as a tribute to the New York drag community on Saturday (16.11.19).

Following her exit, the \'Drag Race\' judge posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, insisting the performance was about the bigger picture, rather than the judges\' scores.

Michelle wrote: "I\'ve learned in this life you must take big risks in order to affect change. 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\'. (sic)"

The judges scored the routine a 32, which landed Michelle at the bottom of the leaderboard, which put her in a dance-off against Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard.

She added: "We are SO proud of the dance we did, but for me, it wasn\'t about judges\' scores.

"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. (sic)"

Michelle also took the chance to thank the British public for their support and to show her love for new-found friend Giovanni.

She said: "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. (sic)"

Michelle\'s pro dance partner Giovanni told his followers: "Our journey has come at the end... 9 weeks... 9 amazing dances and I\'m super proud of what we have achieved! We knew doing \'Vogue\' as a couple\'s choice wouldn\'t be the most challenging dance routine. It was more about a message. A message that my partner was passionate about and I\'m glad to have been a part of it.

"We hope you have enjoyed our adventure as much as we have!! Thank you thank you thank you. Keep dancing. (sic)"

To which, Michelle replied: "Baby, I LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH. You were my EVERYTHING in this and I wouldn\'t change a thing. Thank you for trusting me with your art. Forever friends! (sic)"