Gabby Logan says 'it sounds a bit pathetic' as she makes heartbreaking 'realisation'
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Gabby Logan has revealed her candid thoughts on her exit from the 2007 series, describing it as a "sobering" event that had a significant impact on her life.
The BBC presenter, who is usually seen delivering sports coverage, showed off her moves on the dance floor with pro dancer James Jordan, while her husband Kenny Logan was also competing, partnered with James' wife, Ola Jordan.
Now 52, Gabby reflected on her stint in the competition: "I had an amazing experience on Strictly, I was only on it for a few weeks, but I had an amazing experience — but also, a kind of life-changing experience in many ways.
"[It] sounds a bit dramatic, and you hear people going 'Strictly changed my life', but this wasn't in a good way."
Despite her affection for the show, Gabby admitted she struggled with being voted off and pondered why she didn't connect with the audience, reports Wales Online.
She recounted the shock of elimination: "When you get voted out of Strictly, it's so shocking, because you go in every week starting to work on your following week's dance, and you don't expect to go home," she said.
Gabby, who had been scoring well at the time of her departure, found herself unexpectedly in the bottom two against Penny Lancaster.
Ultimately, the judges decided to save Rod Stewart's wife, Penny, bringing Gabby's journey to an abrupt end in the fourth week.
Gabby opened up on the Gold Minds podcast with Jessica Ennis about her time on the reality show, revealing: "It was the fact that obviously people didn't vote for me — and it sounds a bit pathetic — but you realise when it's a reality show that it's about whether people like you. And I was very much aware that people didn't like me."
She admitted feeling rejected by the public, saying: "I was kind of like, they didn't like me enough to vote for me."
Despite reassurances from James, Gabby confessed she felt "upset" over the situation.
Reflecting on the aftermath, she said: "It was a very sobering kind of experience because in the days afterwards, not only was I dreadfully missing the dancing, but also realising I kind of felt like, 'Oh, what was it about me that people didn't relate to?'"
Gabby discussed the speculation around her competitive nature possibly playing a role in her departure from the show.
Adding to the sting of her exit, Gabby noted that her husband stayed in the competition, despite her opinion that he was "rubbish" at dancing.
Her husband, a former rugby player, narrowly escaped elimination several times, saved by the judges' decisions, until his journey ended just before the quarter-finals.
Gabby revealed that her husband offered to swap places with her after seeing how deeply affected she was by the elimination — although such a switch was, of course, not permitted.
The season concluded with Alesha Dixon triumphing. She later joined the judging panel, taking over from Arlene Phillips.
Next month, the BBC will begin unveiling the names of the new batch of celebrities keen to clinch the Glitterball trophy.
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