Tori spelling‘s journey on Dancing with the stars ended prematurely, but she is nevertheless “grateful” for the experience.

Spelling, 51, and pro partner Pasha Pashkov spoke with We weekly exclusively after their elimination on Tuesday, September 24. “It was really an incredible journey and experience,” Spelling enthused. “Of course I felt like I was just getting started, and I saw such a huge change in myself, physically and mentally (and) emotionally. I wanted to continue, of course, but I’m grateful that I did.”

Pashkov, 38, admitted that DWTS is “the most unpredictable show,” with no guarantees of who will survive from week to week. “You never know what’s going to happen. You never know who’s going to go home, who’s going to win at the end of the day. And that’s the beauty of the show,” he said Us“Sometimes it’s not pretty when you’re the one who gets eliminated, but at the end of the day that’s the game and that’s what makes the show so exciting to watch and be a part of, because you really don’t know.”

No couples were eliminated from the Sept. 17 premiere episode, meaning two couples were ejected Tuesday after their Oscars Night performances. Spelling and Pashkov danced a rumba to “This Is Me” by The greatest showmana film that, according to Spelling, has a special place in her heart.

“It’s our favorite movie as a family,” she explained in the intro package before hitting the dance floor. “Whenever one of us is going through tough times, that movie helps us get through it.”

The duo ultimately received a 19 out of 30 from the judges, but Spelling had another panel she was hoping to impress. Her children — Liam, 17, Stella, 16, Hattie, 12, Finn, 12, and Beau, 7, whom she shares with ex Dean McDermott — cheered her on from the audience.

“Both weeks, it was everything for me to have all five of my kids here in the audience, because they’ve obviously been on this journey with me,” the actress said. Us on Tuesday. “And they were scared with me, next to me, going into this. Like, ‘Are you going to get hurt? Are you going to be scared? Are you going to be able to do this? Oh, my God, what’s going to happen?'”

Spelling added that she was happy that her children saw her “face her fears” during her time at the dance competition. “I came home a better version of myself and a better mother every day, because … I felt so much personal growth and happiness and drew from things,” she continued. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t felt this happy for something that I’m doing for myself in so long.’ Because I think somewhere along this journey called life, I gave up a huge part of myself, and now I’m drawing from that, so I’m going to keep doing me.”

Although she and Pashkov will no longer be in the rehearsal room together this season, Spelling said she will continue dancing “1,000 percent.” “I don’t know what that looks like, but I would love to (continue),” she noted. “I found something that I really enjoy, and I realized that I’m good at it. … I made myself proud.”

Regarding her relationship with Pashkov, Spelling confirmed that she “completely trusted” him throughout the process, which is not usual for her.

“I didn’t know anything about (him) yet,” she said Us. “I mean, I watch the show every season, obviously. I see what I see on TV, and my friends really thought Pasha would be the perfect partner for me, so I was excited when I got him. But I didn’t know we would click on such a deep level so quickly.”

Related: Every Time ‘DWTS’ Partners Defended Their Onstage Chemistry

Many Dancing With the Stars contestants have such a palpable connection on the dance floor that fans have begun to speculate whether those bonds extend to real life. “We really get along and have great chemistry, which made this dance so much easier,” Emma Slater told Us Weekly in September 2022, after DWTS host Alfonso (…)

The same was true for Pashkov. “I didn’t really know anything about (her). So for me, everything I learned about Tori was new, you know, but what was really interesting is that Tori is… a very artistic and creative person,” he explained. “So it was like we were almost developing a new language, (a new) communication in learning the dance.”

Together with Spelling and Pashkov, Anna Delvey and pro Ezra Sosa were eliminated on Tuesday. Despite her early elimination from the competition, Spelling is celebrating her achievement with pride — and she hopes Pashkov remains a friend.

“You don’t realize what a personal and intimate experience this is and how you put everything — your trust and your heart and soul and everything — into another person. I honestly don’t think, in the short time that we’ve known each other, that anyone has ever gotten to me that fast in my entire life … so stay in touch, bro,” she teased.

Dancing with the stars will air simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will be available to stream the following day on Hulu and Disney+.

With reporting by Carly Konsker