Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy couldn't be happier after being crowned Dancing with the Stars champions.
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Dancing with the Stars' twentieth season was Val's fourth time making it into the finals but his first time winning the coveted mirrorball trophy. His victory followed his older brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy's win with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis two seasons ago.
Val confessed Rumer's personality, drive and heart were the main reasons why he was finally able to win the reality dancing competition.
"The first time I met her, there was such a sense of gratitude in her eyes and everything that she did and everything that she said to me. She was just so excited to do the show. I asked her the first meeting, I was like, 'Really? Are you sure? This is going to be tough,'" Val said on GMA.
"[And she was] just so genuinely enthusiastic for the process that she told me, 'Man, I just want to learn how to dance and hopefully make new friends, and that's all I want.' Ten weeks later, we've got a trophy and it just feels amazing."
Val tried his hardest to make for a memorable, enjoyable journey for Rumer. Towards the end of the competition, when he worried he was working Rumer too hard and taking the fun out of the process for her, he cried with regret.
"This season was the first time for a lot of things for me, and like I said, she made me feel comfortable enough to open up and be myself and not be so guarded. I have to thank her for it. She's a beautiful person," Val noted.
"The best part of this show for me was always being able to share the stage with my brother, and you know, I'm so grateful to Rumer for the opportunity to now share the common bond of being Dancing with the Stars champions together. It means a lot to my family... Just to share the stage with people I love means the world to me."
Rumer also gained a more positive opinion of herself throughout the season, having dealt with a lot of bullying and self-esteem issues in her past.
"I think one of the most incredible things about this whole show and being on the show is the incredible response I got from people about sharing my story, and that's who this mirrorball is for, honestly, is for everyone who ever felt like they weren't good enough or felt like they couldn't accomplish something, because you can," Rumer said.
"And even if you don't feel like you're beautiful every day or you feel like you look right, you could do something. If you just work hard and put your whole heart into it, you totally can."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
