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Ciara Miller danced the pain away on the Sept. 16 episode of Dancing with the Stars where she was seen performing an emotional foxtrot with partner Brandon Armstrong that left judge Carrie Ann Inaba in tears. 

Elegantly gliding from slow walking steps and quick side steps, The Summer House star dazzled on the floor as she and Armstrong danced to Whitney Houston’s classic hit “Exhale.”

Speaking to Deadline about her decision to use the song in her performance, Miller explained:

“It really spoke to where I was at in this period of my life. And I love Whitney Houston. I’ve been listening to that song throughout this entire year and I just felt like it marked such an important moment for me….I just felt like as long as I connected with the song, hopefully people would be able to see that connection to it and I’m just really thankful that it translated.”

Although the judges felt as though the reality TV star could improve on her control and flow, awarding her and Brandon with a score of 15 out of 30, Inaba teared up, as she could feel emotion and pain in Miller’s movements.

“You made me cry,” she told Miller. “Because I can see the pain that you have. I can feel it. This is the beautiful thing about dance is that it gives you a place to express that and I think that you are a stunning dancer,” Inaba, 58, told the 30-year-old celeb. “I want you to continue this journey. I want you to believe in yourself.”

Derek Hough echoed a similar sentiment, praising Miller, but urging her to lean into her movements freely with confidence.

“I want you to go back to rehearsal and dance like you know that you’re good, because you are,” he said.

RELATED CONTENT: Summer House’s Ciara Miller Is Bravo’s Breakout Star & Deserves All The Hype

It’s been quite a painful year for Ciara Miller, who we saw earlier this year, experienced heartbreak during her time on Season 10 of Summer House.  Tensions flared between the model and her former best friend Amanda Batula after the latter revealed that she developed a relationship with Ciara’s ex-boyfriend, West Wilson, several months after their breakup. Miller called Amanda a “snake” for initially lying about her relationship with Wilson during the Summer House Season 10 reunion in May. 

Before her tear-jerking foxtrot performance, Miller opened up about the challenging year she has faced since Wilson, and Batula confirmed their relationship in March.

“I’ve had a hell of a year,” Miller admitted in her rehearsal package.

The episode revisited the fallout and drama surrounding Batula and Wilson’s relationship before Miller explained why joining Dancing with the Stars felt like an opportunity to tell her story on her own terms. With so much of her personal life unfolding publicly, she said she wanted to communicate her emotions in a way that went beyond simply talking about what happened.

“A lot of my life has, like, played out so publicly, but I don’t feel like I’ve gotten the chance to say my part on everything,” she said. “But I want to say it in a different way.”

“This is, like, a perfect creative outlet to express myself with less words and more feeling,” she added.

Miller also shared that dance has been part of her life since childhood. She trained in ballet, hip-hop and jazz, but had stepped away from dancing for 15 years. Returning to the dance floor came with its own set of difficulties as she prepared for the foxtrot, from learning to better control her arms and legs to dealing with motion sickness during rehearsals.

“I don’t even get on carnival rides. I get so motion sick,” she said. “I’ve got to really work that out of my head because I don’t want to throw up on stage.”

Before the show aired, Miller spoke with NBC’s Talking Shop series on Sept. 15 about how she improves her dance moves and recovers following her intense performances on the show.  

Miller said Bala Bangles have been a go to during rehearsals. They are wearable weights that add constant, comfortable resistance, as she practices.

“I just got these arm weights because a lot of my moves this first week are in frame, and my arms look like chicken wings instead of an elegant bird,” she joked. “So I was like, okay, what can keep me mindful of keeping my arms up? These weights are how I’ve been training my arms.” 

Dr. Teal’s epsom salt is essential for her recovery after practice and her performances, along with a good stretch. 

“I am not flexible anymore, so I really have to stretch,” she explained. “My back, my neck… I’m so sore everywhere. I’m soaking in a bathtub almost every day for at least 20 minutes. It’s essential,” she added. “I’m living for Dr. Teal’s epsom salt. I’ve got the sleepytime one, I’ve got the one for muscle recovery; I’ve got all the things.”

Despite the odds, Ciara Miller showed up and delivered. What did you think of her performance on Wednesday’s episode of Dancing with the Stars? 

Thoughts?

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