Moving forward! Kate Flannery was all smiles on Thursday, November 7, just three days after she was sent home from Dancing With the Stars, an elimination that surprised both cast and judges alike.
“Every week I realized that there was a chance because it’s just how it goes. You just don’t know how the fans are voting and all we know are the judges. So yes, I was shocked, but no, I wasn’t shocked,” the Office alum, 55, told Us Weekly exclusively at the Funko Hollywood Grand Opening VIP Preview. “I don’t know. I kind of knew what I was getting myself into when I started.”
She also noted that she “certainly” went further in the competition than she thought she would — and she didn’t get seriously hurt!
“I have a bruised rib I’m fine now, but it’s intense,” she said, noting that she “slipped during rehearsal” during the team dance. “I’m fine! Take one for the team. … You don’t want to hear all my aches and pains! You just have to shut up and dance when you do the show. But it’s part of the deal and there are so many dancers who deal with being that in fiscal on a regular basis!”
Flannery also raved over her relationship with pro dancer Pasha Pashkov, who joined the competition series this season.
“Getting to dance with Pasha was really one of the best chapters of my life. He is just an amazing artist, an amazing human being. He’s a world-class champion,” she shared. “Every week felt like this great, wonderful new adventure. So I have no regrets.”
After Monday’s episode, in which Sean Spicer was the first to be announced as safe, the Philadelphia native admitted she was pretty caught off guard.
“There are always been surprises on this show and there have always been surprises with Sean,” she told Us exclusively on Tuesday, November 6. Meanwhile, Pashkov, 26, wasn’t shocked at all.
“If it was the first week or second week, I might’ve been surprised, but because it’s already week 8 and we see Sean is being saved through the votes from week to week, it kind of became a norm and less of a surprise for us,” he said. “We kind of got accustomed to it. Viewers are backing him up, and therefore, I cannot say I was surprised this time.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Nicole Pajer
