Grey said she wanted to show her little girl, Stella, that even though she got stage fright before every dance, you can face your fears to do what makes you happy. She joked that her shiny mirror ball trophy will be going into her daughter's room.
Grey's partner felt satisfied to finally taste victory after a tough season.
"It's been a roller coaster. It's been a bumpy ride, but it was the most amazing perseverance I've ever seen and she came out here and knocked it out of the park," said Hough.
Grey said much of her success was owed to Hough's encouragement. "He kept pushing me just enough and he made me better than I ever could have been," she said.
Grey's husband, Clark Gregg, was on hand to congratulate his wife. "It's nice to have all these other people see what a hot mama my wife is!" he exclaimed. "What a spectacular person. It's been nice to share her with a lot of other people."
Grey's showbiz veteran dad, Joel Grey, said he couldn't be prouder of her. "I'm bursting with a love I've always had for her and a totally new admiration. She's a winner."
Though finalists Kyle Massey and Bristol Palin won't be taking home the trophy, they still felt a sense of victory.
"I learned how to dance. I learned how to do a lot of things. It's just been an experience I'm going to take with me for a lifetime," said Palin. She hesitated to say whether or not she planned on making further appearances on television in the future.
"At the end of the day, victory is more than just a trophy," said Massey. "We really came a long way."
Massey also congratulated Grey, recognizing the hard work she put into the competition. "She went through so much emotion, and for her to go through so much pain and so many emotions and still prevail is just great."
The 12th season of "Dancing With the Stars" will premiere this spring.
