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)"