A touching tribute. Kaitlyn Bristowe dedicated her upcoming performance on Dancing With the Stars to her late friend. “Tonight, I dance for Lindsay. We are dancing to her favorite song, and one we played at her funeral, ‘Cowboy Take Me Away,'” the former Bachelorette wrote on Monday, November 16.
Kaitlyn, 35, went on to explain that she and Lindsay met when they were just 4 years old. “We were attached at the hip; we grew up together. She was my next-door neighbor who became family,” the Bachelor alum continued. “We had our first day of school together, all the way up to her last day of high school when her life was tragically taken in a motor vehicle accident.”
Lindsay “loved to dance,” Kaitlyn added. “It’s a beautiful way to honor somebody and I will do that tonight. I’m still so close to her family and I know they will be watching tonight. I am honored to use this stage to remember her and celebrate her legacy. She was such a unique soul, and she had such an impact on who I am today. She was the most unapologetic free spirit and we miss her every day.”
While the Canada native acknowledged she and partner Artem Chigvintsev will be performing in hopes of moving on from the semi-finals, Kaitlyn’s post was about more than just garnering votes. “I’m also asking you to hug your friends and cherish the time you have together,” she concluded.
Ahead of the TV personality’s heartfelt message, Kaitlyn revealed that preparing for the dance was especially difficult. “Today was such a tough rehearsal,” she said tearfully during a Saturday, November 14, Instagram Story. “It’s just tough at this point in the competition, but I’m dancing a very emotional dance on Monday. I don’t bury emotions. I talk about things and cry about things.”
In the past, Kaitlyn has kept her emotions about Lindsay somewhat hidden from TV in fear of being judged. “It was just something that I held kinda close to my heart,” the “Off the Vine” podcast host said. “But, hearing the song every day, telling a story, putting me back in those times and talking about her has just got me so emotional.”
Kaitlyn and Artem, 38, will be competing against the five remaining teams: Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson, Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten, Nelly and Daniella Karagach, Justina Machado and Sasha Farber and Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart.
New episodes of Dancing With the Stars air on ABC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET.
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