Fans were devastated when “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kenya Moore was eliminated from the dancing competition series “Dancing with the Stars” during the “Horror Night” episode. The reality star was crushed, but during a recent appearance on “The Real,” Moore revealed how that experience came just in time and helped her during one of her darkest moments. 

While reflecting on her time on the show, co-host Loni Love asked the 51-year-old if she felt out of her element considering the work she’s done for her show on Bravo. Moore admitted that she initially felt out of place “because they were all pros and a lot of the contestants, the celebrities, they had pro experience, and I was just this girl from Detroit who took free classes at the community center.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Kenya Moore visits BuzzFeed’s “AM To DM” on November 04, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)

However, the former MISS USA 1993 winner said, “after I got the call to do the show, I was so elated,” before adding that the opportunity “came right on time because I was so down on myself.”

The mother of one said at the time she was going through a tough divorce from Marc Daly that had played out in the headlines as well as dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and “just trying to figure out how to be a single mom; how to take care of my business.” 

Loni highlighted that fans got to see another side of Moore, outside of her “RHOA” persona, to which the star agreed, adding, “I felt free, like, this is who I am. I’m just going to take off all the layers and let people see who I am, and it was just so liberating, and it felt so good being there.”

Loni could sense Moore getting overpowered by her feelings, and invited the star to share. At first, she was hesitant, seemingly for fear she’d cry but eventually, Moore gave in to her emotions, revealing that being on the show “was just a great experience” as she held back tears. 

As previously reported, Moore and Daly are parting ways after four years of marriage. The former couple married on June 10, 2017, welcomed their daughter in 2018, and separated in September 2019. The former couple attempted to reconcile, but ultimately split for good in 2021. 

She continued about the dance competition show, “You know, it just took me out of this really dark place, and it just made me feel alive again, like valuable again, where people can see me because I wasn’t seen in my marriage, and I had this wonderful partner who just made me feel great to just be there every day.”