Actress Julia Stiles managed to choke back her tears and keep her composure in the last moments of Disney Night on Dancing with the Stars, just after learning that she and dance pro Ezra Sosa had been eliminated on Monday, November 2.
But once the live show ended and reporters swarmed the dance floor with questions, Stiles and Sosa both broke down in tears during multiple post-show interviews. They did not have the lowest scores of the night, but viewers’ votes weren’t enough to save them from elimination.
The Save the Last Dance star was already emotional when ABC’s On the Red Carpet asked about her journey on the show. With tears in her eyes, she told the outlet, “This has been such an incredible experience, just physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, all of it together. So I will always have that with me. And I’m really, really glad that we were able to go out with a bang.”
“But I’m really sad ’cause I’m gonna miss seeing this guy every day,” she said as Sosa touched his forehead to hers and he replied, “I’m gonna miss you, too.”
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“She made me a better person,” Sosa continued and then, getting verklempt, he exclaimed, “Oh, I’m gonna cry!”
Letting the tears flow as he spoke, Sosa told Stiles, “You made me a better teacher, choreographer, person. Just your openness, and your honesty, really — it touched me in so many ways, and I’m just so lucky. I took away, I took a lot from Julia, and I’m really grateful for this experience.”
By the time they talked with Entertainment Tonight, Sosa had tears streaming down his cheek as Stiles explained why she was so glad that she got to perform their dance to Hamilton before being sent home.
“I found my confidence, I found my strength, I was able to own that dance,” she said of the paso doble they performed to the song Satisfied. “So I’m really glad that we had that moment.”
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“I had so much fun,” she continued, as her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll always have that: I had so much fun.”
When the reporter asked if they might get matching tattoos to commemorate their time together on DWTS, Sosa immediately perked up and exclaimed, “Oh my god!” and Stiles said, “We should!”
The duo is expected to be back in the ballroom for the Season 35 finale on November 24, perhaps with new tattoos. Meanwhile, the next live show will air on Tuesday, November 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.