Alyson Hannigan was not crowned the newest champion of Dancing With the Stars, but she’s grateful for all she’s gained — and the weight she’s lost — from her experience in the ballroom.
The How I Met Your Mother star, 49, shared side-by-side snaps to Instagram of her pre-season promo picture and a shot from the DWTS finale on Tuesday, December 5. In both photos, Hannigan sported a silver fringe dress.
“The before and after says it all,” Hannigan wrote on Saturday, December 9. “I lost 20 pounds of both weight and emotional baggage during my time on @dancingwiththestars.”
In her caption, Hannigan went on to credit her partner, professional dancer Sasha Farber, for aiding her in her journey. (The pair finished in fifth place during the season 32 finale after performing a salsa redemption dance to “Get on Your Feet” by Gloria Estefan and freestyle to “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift and “Papi” by Jennifer Lopez. Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy took first place.)
“I can’t thank @sashafarber1 enough for helping me shed my insecurities and getting me to the confident and strong place I am today!” she gushed.
Farber, 39, also took to Instagram to post the same two pictures of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress and penned his own caption congratulating his former partner.
“I wanted to post this picture and celebrate, how proud and hard working my partner was during the season!!!!” he wrote. “I believe dance is the best way to exercise stimulate the brain and have fun in the process!!!!! I call it ‘BodyBySasha’ who wants to sign up !!!!!”
Hannigan, for her part, commented: “Take it from me, it WORKS!!!”
After the season wrapped, Hannigan shared a series of clips from her time on the show and wrote a heartfelt tribute to her partner via Instagram.
“Where do I even begin?” she wrote in a lengthy post on Friday, December 8. “I really don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to express my gratitude for this experience. To go into this journey with mostly fear, and come out how I feel now is indescribable.”
She continued: “I cannot thank @sashafarber1 enough for everything he gave me, shared with me and experienced with me. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for giving me confidence and making me feel like I could do this and then getting me there and having so much fun along the way. I am so glad that you came into my life and you’re not gonna get rid of me now.”
