Kimberley Walsh finished joint second on Strictly Come Dancing. File picture: Ian West/PA Wire

Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh wasn’t disappointed not to win Strictly Come Dancing.

Walsh, who danced with Pasha Kovalev, along with Denise Van Outen and James Jordan, were runners up to Olympian Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace last month, and the 31-year-old admits she was surprised to be happy with the result.

She said: “I thought I would be disappointed not to win because it was so close. And on the night, we could all feel it.

“But it was weird - I kind of felt alright about it.

“I thought I’d get more competitive as the weeks went on, but I was competitive with myself rather than with the others.”

Walsh said she was particularly satisfied with the result because it meant she tied with close friend Van Outen, who she first struck up a bond with when they were among a group of celebrities who took part in a charity trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009.

She added to Hello! magazine: “Denise and I went through the whole Strictly thing together.

“We were constantly on the phone saying: “Are you all right? How are your injuries?”

“So it was fitting that we started together and finished together. Neither of us felt we deserved to win over the other so it was nice to be even stevens.

“The one thing we didn’t want was to dance off against each other. It would have been horrific. We were so happy we got to the end without having to do that.

“Obviously, we’ve now gone through two massively challenging experiences together - Kilimanjaro and Strictly. We’ve definitely got a bond for life there.”