Alix Earle Breaks Down in Tears as She Reflects on How “DWTS” Helped Her 'Prove' Herself amid Public Criticism

Alix Earle is getting emotional ahead of the Dancing with the Stars finale.

In a tearful video shared to TikTok on Nov. 24, the 24-year-old influencer reflected on her journey throughout the 34th season of the reality competition show ahead of its final episode the next day.

Prefacing the video that she was “a little sleep deprived” and “probably losing my mind,” Earle thanked her followers for their continued support as she competed.

“Coming onto the show, some people [were] saying I shouldn’t do it,” she said. “It felt scary, like a little bit of a risk, because I would be stopping everything else work-wise for a few months, and I’d be moving out to L.A. I would be apart from my friends, my boyfriend and basically just changing my everyday life.”

Earle said she also worried her followers wouldn’t be interested in her DWTS stint, since it differed from the kind of lifestyle content that she was known for online.

“I've just felt so loved now more than ever,” said the content creator. “The edits you guys make and the comments or things you guys post watching the show — it just makes me so happy.”

Continued Earle: “Sometimes people don't take me seriously because I'm always out or posting funny things or not so serious stuff. I feel like the show has just given me a reason to prove to myself and to you guys that I do work hard.”

“I'm so excited for this last show, but I'm gonna be so sad when it's over,” said the influencer. “I just can't imagine if I didn't do this, cause I feel like I just learned a lot about myself, a new drive and motivation in life.”

Earle was a longtime DWTS fan before she joined the cast of the show, even attending the series’s taping of its 500th episode. Over the course of the season, the content creator — who has been paired with pro Val Chmerkovskiy — has impressed the judges, nabbing plenty of 10s from the judges for her moves.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Earlier in the season, Earle’s stepmom Ashley Dupré was the subject of controversy when, while watching the show’s Oct. 28 episode with Earle's younger siblings at home, she told guest judge Cheryl Burke through the TV to “go take more Ozempic” after she awarded Earle only a 9 for her routine, captured in a video Dupré posted to TikTok.

Burke seemingly clapped back several days later, saying in a TikTok video of her own, “My goal was just to be able to give any helpful notes if needed, because that's all I can really do.”

In the comments of Burke’s video, Earle weighed in, thanking the guest judge for her notes.

“I really appreciated your critiques and feedback so helpful for me as someone in the competition 💕 thank you,” she wrote.

New episodes of Dancing with the Stars air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on both ABC and Disney+.