Molly Rainford has said her “rocky journey” on Strictly Come Dancing motivated her to come back stronger each week.
The TV presenter and singer, 22, has battled through four of the dreaded dance-offs while on the BBC show to claim a place in the grand finale on Saturday where she will compete to win the coveted glitterball trophy with her professional partner Carlos Gu.
Rainford feels her theatre school background may have been a factor in why she did not receive as many public votes but she insisted she did not come into the show as a trained dancer.
Speaking ahead of the final, she said: “Honestly, I never had any confidence in dance at school and the beauty of going to a theatre school meant that I could work while I was there so the majority of my time I was actually going out (on jobs).
“I did Friday Download when I was at school, CBBC and loads of different things.
“And also, because I’m a singer, I was doing a lot of writing sessions on those days when we did get vocational classes so I wasn’t missing out on academics.”
She also revealed that the week they went back and visited her former teachers at Sylvia Young Theatre School they questioned why she had signed up for the show as they said she had skipped all the dance classes.
Rainford added that due to the nature of the show, it could be a whole range of factors that influence the public vote.
“You just never know what people are voting for really”, she said, “and then I think, again, that’s what makes the show so cool because it is really down to what the public think.
“They might love your dress that week, they might love the song choice, they might just particularly like quicksteps, or whatever it is.
“I think that’s so cool about the show because it really means anyone can do anything.”
She also feels those moments in the bottom two have helped her resilience.
“We’ve had a rocky journey on this show and I am so grateful for those ones because it really made me motivated to come back stronger and it also made us stronger as a partnership, I think,” she said.
“And the fact that we’ve got to this position and through audience vote just means the absolute world.”
During the final, Rainford and Gu will perform three routines – a quickstep to Love On Top by Beyonce as their judges’ pick, their rumba to All The Man That I Need by Whitney Houston as their favourite and will finish with a show dance to a mix of Kiss and 1999 – both by Prince.
The singer revealed she is particularly excited about their show dance as she feels it will be a chance to showcase a completely different side to them.
Reflecting on their Strictly experience, Rainford said it would be “absolutely incredible” to win the show after everything they have been through.
She said: “Considering the journey that we have had and to get here, we are so grateful for everyone that supported us, but also it would show everyone at home that no matter how we got here, you can really do anything.
“To go through that many dance-offs and win the show would be such a moment. And it just shows that hard work and passion and a good partnership definitely just pays off in the end.”
Rainford will go up against wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin, TV presenter Helen Skelton and radio DJ and singer Fleur East during the final after Will Mellor became the 11th celebrity to leave the BBC One dance competition on Monday.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Final will air live on Saturday at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.