Reality television personality Vicky Pattison revealed she was overcome with emotion following her triumphant performance on Strictly Come Dancing last weekend.
The 37-year-old former Geordie Shore star found herself in tears as she talked throughout the week on after achieving a near-perfect score of 39 points.
Her Tango routine, performed to Taylor Swift's The Fate Of Ophelia alongside professional dancer Kai Widdrington, secured her position at the top of the leaderboard.
The achievement marked a significant milestone for Ms Pattison, who had no previous dance experience before joining the BBC programme.
| BBC
During an appearance on the spin-off show It Takes Two on Friday, she discussed the overwhelming nature of her success with presenter Fleur East.
The performance took place at the halfway point of the current series, with nine couples remaining in the competition.
Pattison explained her emotional state during the It Takes Two interview, stating: "On social media, someone said 'I fear Vicky Pattison might chuck herself off that balcony if she ever gets a 40!' and I fear they are right."
The former I'm A Celebrity winner, who previously appeared on Loose Women, admitted the achievement felt surreal.
Vicky Pattison made the admission on Friday's It Takes Two
|BBC
"For someone like me who had never danced before and was so scared at the start of the process, even now who still has wobbles, that's a moment I never thought would be mine," she said.
She added: "I'm still feeling very overwhelmed and I spent Sunday just bursting into tears."
The show's producers presented Pattison with commemorative gifts, including a framed photograph of the leaderboard and a cushion featuring judge Anton Du Beke displaying his 10 paddle.
"I am going straight home to bed with this!" she joked.
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The BBC Strictly judges were impressed with Vicky's performance last week
|BBC
The judges delivered unanimous praise for the performance, with Craig Revel Horwood declaring it "perfect". Anton Du Beke expressed his astonishment at the quality of the routine.
"I thought it was absolutely marvellous. I loved it. Your line is the best line I've ever seen. It was immaculate," Du Beke said. He admitted to being "a bit stunned" by the excellence of the performance.
Both Motsi Mabuse and head judge Shirley Ballas selected it as their standout routine of the evening.
Mabuse offered particularly enthusiastic feedback about Pattison's potential.
Vicky Pattison became emotional following her performance last weekend
|BBC
"Last week I said you were a contender for the final, and this dance just proved what I meant. You confirmed my intuition.
"Without a doubt, you are on fire. Whatever is giving you that fire keep it up. This was for me, till now, the dance of the night," Mabuse said.
Pattison expressed optimism about maintaining long-term connections with her fellow contestants. "For me, all the celebs are absolutely gorgeous.
"I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be doing Strictly this year because everyone is so lovely," she said.
She mentioned several contestants by name, including Amber, Bal, La Voix and Caz Carney, whilst reflecting on the departure of Dani Dyer.
"When we lost Dani Dyer originally, it was so devastating and heart-breaking," she noted.
Drawing from her reality television experience, Pattison remains confident about sustaining these relationships.
"I'm still friends with Ferne [McCann] and I was in the jungle 10 years ago with her. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we're gonna be friends forever!"
Following the broadcast, Pattison shared her disbelief on Instagram, posting an image of the leaderboard with the caption: "This can not be real".