Balvinder Sopal's Strictly Come Dancing journey concluded on Sunday evening when she faced elimination in the semi-final following her sixth dance-off of the series, and the actress noted the moment she knew it was "game over".
The EastEnders star and her professional partner Julian Caillon went head-to-head with Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin in the decisive showdown.
Ms Sopal and Mr Caillon reprised their Salsa routine to Gloria Estefan's Rhythm Is Gonna Get You and Get On Your Feet, while Davies and Kuzmin performed their Couple's Choice to Raye's rendition of Fly Me To The Moon.
All four judges — Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood — opted unanimously to keep Ms Davies and Mr Kuzmin in the competition.
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon appeared on It Takes Two
|BBC
The decision means Ms Davies advances to next week's grand final alongside George Clarke with Alexis Warr, and Karen Carney with Carlos Gu.
Speaking to Fleur East on Monday's edition of It Takes Two, Ms Sopal reflected on her experience just hours after her elimination from the BBC dance competition.
When asked what her "week one self" would make of her achievement, the actress expressed delight at her progress.
"I think she'd be doing summersaults and be like 'wow you actually did it, not only did you say yes but you got to the semi-final and made it to the last four'. I'm super super happy and so proud," she said.
BBC Strictly: Balvinder Sopal and Julian Callion were eliminated on Sunday
|BBC
The soap star, who has been a Strictly fan since the programme's debut series over two decades ago, managed to survive five previous dance-offs throughout the competition before her semi-final exit.
Throughout the series, Ms Sopal emphasised her commitment to remaining genuine rather than altering her personality to win votes or public favour.
"It's very easy to become something you're not in order to be liked, to get people to vote for you, or to be seen in a different way," she explained.
"I believed I stayed true to who I am, I kept it real. I held myself with dignity and integrity and I didn't change. For him to realise there was a naturalness of being, means he saw me for who I was.
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BBC Strictly: Balvinder Sopal reflected on the moment she knew it was 'over'
|BBC
That was through the dancing, the storytelling and the authenticity."
Her approach earned recognition from judge Anton Du Beke during Saturday's live show, where he commended the actress for bringing "real integrity" to her performances.
Despite her record-breaking run of dance-off appearances, Ms Sopal acknowledged she harboured no illusions about the outcome when facing Ms Davies in the semi-final showdown.
"I wasn't nervous, but I will say Amber is a wonderful contestant and a wonderful woman.
BBC Strictly: The judges saved Amber Davies in the last episode
|BBC
She is of a different caliber. Going up against Amber, it was game over for me," she admitted.
The actress was candid about the gap in ability, noting: "We're not at that level, I certainly wasn't.
"I came into the competition as a novice... I didn't know anything really... We gave it our best. We gave as good as we got, we gave better."
Sopal also credited her Australian partner Caillon for pushing her beyond her comfort zone, describing how he refused to let her take easier options and insisted she rise to each challenge.