The singer exclusively looks back at her time on the dance competition show in 2010 with ET.
Nicole Scherzinger is taking a trip down memory lane!
The 41-year-old singer -- who is currently a judge on The Masked Singer -- recently sat down for ET Live's new "Watch" series, where she reacted to videos of herself from her early days on Popstars with Eden's Crush to singing with the Pussycat Dolls and breaking it down in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom.
As many of her fans may remember, Scherzinger competed on season 10 of the dance competition show back in 2010. Paired with fan-favorite pro Derek Hough, the two ended up winning the coveted mirrorball trophy, beating out stars like Chad Ochocinco, Pamela Anderson and Erin Andrews. Looking back at that time in her life, Scherzinger used words like "crazy," "memorable" and "challenging" to describe it.
"I actually did Dancing With the Stars for my mother," she explained. "She was a massive fan of the show and she really wanted me to do it. I was like, 'I'm always up for a challenge,' but I didn't realize how hard it would be. I didn't give Derek Hough a day off in the few months we did this show."
"Derek Hough was the best partner and always will be," she continued. "I'm so grateful that I did it. I learned so much and I feel like we got to create some really memorable little performances."
Of winning the mirroball trophy, Scherzinger said she remembers feeling "genuinely so surprised" when her and Hough's names were called over runner-up Evan Lysacek and his pro partner, Anna Trebunskaya.
"Evan Lysacek is a brilliant ice skater and he did such an amazing job, so I didn't know what way people were going to vote," she recalled. "What a great time that was. It's something that I worked really hard for. People don't realize the blood, sweat and tears you put in that they don't catch on camera."
So, nearly a decade later, how is Scherzinger's mirrorball doing today?
"I had that mirrorball. I actually just got it back," she revealed. "They gave it to me and it fell apart in pieces. It was so ghetto; all the pieces fell apart! So they worked on it and they redid it for me."
"Now it's in mint condition!" she exclaimed. "It's all shined up at the house."
And when asked what advice she has for the current contestants, Scherzinger was taken aback by the fact that the show is now in its 28th season.
"Oh, my gosh, is it still going on?" she asked. "Just be yourself. Bring yourself into every performance and have fun. I always told Derek, every week I want it to be an event and something different and tell a story. So, figure out creatively what you want to do. You can do anything. That's what's so wonderful on this show."
Later in the interview, Scherzinger also reacted to everything from her Popstars audition in 2001 -- "It's crazy to see how innocent and sweet I was" -- to her "Don't Cha" music video with the Pussycat Dolls, which she remembers being "so fun and raw" because "I was just being me." See all of Scherzinger's reactions here, and watch more from her exclusive sit-down interview with ET in the video below!
For even more Scherzinger, catch her every Wednesday night on The Masked Singer, airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
RELATED CONTENT: