Competing on Dancing With the Stars has come with some surprise changes for Summer House‘s Ciara Miller.
“My butt has gotten a little bigger,” Miller, 30, exclusively told Us after performing during the second part of the season 35 premiere on Wednesday, September 16.
Miller considered it a perk of the gig, adding, “I have to take my measurements, but I think I have gained at least an inch on my butt since we’ve started dancing. [That’s] a win. I always wanted to be thick, so I’m living out my dream — slowly, but surely.”
The reality star was thrilled to make her DWTS debut, earning 15 out of 30 points for her foxtrot with pro partner Brandon Armstrong to “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston. Her performance also drew an emotional response from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who was moved to tears.
“She just came up to me, and I’m like, ‘I feel like I’m still processing everything.’ But it was really special that she was able to feel, like, what I wanted to portray,” Miller added. “And she said I was a beautiful dancer and that’s so nice because I was so nervous.”
Miller went into premiere night with “a lot of nerves,” joking, “Which I’m probably sure you guys could see. … It’s obvious you want to impress the judges, too, but I’m really happy that she was able to read me and see me in that moment. It meant the world to me.”
Shortly before she took the stage, Miller reflected on the significance of her performance.
“Tonight’s dance means more to me than I can really put into words. Obviously Whitney, but these lyrics have carried real weight for me this season of my life,” she wrote via Instagram on Wednesday. “This has been a wild year … full of wins, full of falls, and I’m so deeply grateful to everyone who sent me a kind word along the way. You have no idea how much those moments mattered.”
Miller spoke candidly about facing recent challenges in the public eye after her ex West Wilson started dating her former friend and Summer House costar Amanda Batula.
“I live so much of my life in front of a camera, but I still hold a lot closer to keep to myself. There were days and nights with my friends, behind closed doors, that were hard -really hard- to get through,” she noted. “And I’m eternally grateful to them, because without them, I wouldn’t be walking out on this stage tonight.”
The post concluded: “So tonight, this dance is for my village who have held me up, and allowed me the space to exhale. No lights. No cameras. Behind closed doors. And let me beat the dead horse lol. I want this dance to be the closing of one chapter – and the beginning of something so special and new.”
While speaking to Us, Miller shared more insight into how her Summer House pals are supporting her through this new journey.
“Pretty much everyone from my cast has texted me tonight and I am so happy that Mia [Calabrese] and Lindsay [Hubbard] were able to sit out in the audience tonight,” she gushed. “ It meant the world to me to be able to have them [be here], because I feel like throughout this entire year, they really have been, like, such rocks in this craziness and I feel like we’ve been through so much.”
Miller felt the love from those closest to her on her big night.
“Lindsay and I have had such a crazy journey over the past, like, six or seven years and the fact that we’re closer than ever and able to really appreciate each other,” she gushed. “We’ve come so far and I really value her friendship. She was really such a rock for me this year and I love that girl.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
