In the Oct. 28 episode of Dancing With the Stars, host Alfonso Ribeiro announced that contestant Elaine Hendrix, 54, would not be performing that evening.
“She suffered an injury in rehearsal this morning,” Ribeiro told the DWTS audience. “Right now, she’s at the hospital being assessed.”
That evening, the season 34 contestant revealed in a video posted to her Instagram that she had been hospitalized after an intense Dancing With the Stars practice session with partner Alan Bersten left her in severe pain. In the video, Hendrix is shown wearing a robe and lying in a hospital bed.
“Hi, so, obviously, I’m not in the ballroom,” Hendrix says to the camera. “I injured my ribs during ‘Defying Gravity’ and today, they just seized up, and I couldn’t move.”
However, Hendrix did offer some good news in her video. “The doctor has said, with a day or two of rest, I should be able to continue, and that’s exactly what I want to do,” she said. “I want to dance, I want to keep doing this.”
In the video’s caption, the actress expressed gratitude to fans and her fellow contestants, and admitted her sadness over not being able to perform during the season’s spooky-themed episode. “Halloween is my favorite, and I’m devastated. 💔 I was beyond excited to share what we had worked so hard on, although you’ll see a version of it,“ she wrote. ”I’m sending all my love to Alan and the entire Dancing with the Stars team.“ Hendrix closed out the video’s caption by thanking fans for “your love, your support, and your votes.”
Fans quickly flooded the Parent Trap actress’s feed with concerned comments and well-wishes. “We are all behind you this week, and we cannot wait to see you back in the ballroom next week,” wrote one commenter, encouraging Hendrix to “focus on getting better so we can cheer you on!!!”
Some of Hendrix’s followers voiced their dismay at not being able to see the star perform that week. “I’m so devastated right now,” wrote another fan. “Was so looking forward to this dance in its completion.”
On the previous week’s episode, which aired on Oct. 21, the couple put on a show for “Wicked Night,” with their “Defying Gravity” performance receiving a standing ovation and earning 36 points out of 40.
However, the couple’s success came at a cost. Hendrix admitted that the evening’s routine left her with injuries to both her foot and her rib. The pain from the latter worsened throughout the week, culminating with Hendrix being carried out of a morning rehearsal on Tuesday, Oct. 28, just hours ahead of the evening’s episode.
While Hendrix was unable to perform on Oct. 28, the pair was judged based on their last rehearsal in accordance with the rules of Dancing With the Stars. The judges were left emotional by Hendrix and Bersten’s practice video, ultimately awarding the couple 32 points out of 40. The pair survived elimination via fan votes, while The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck and her partner, Jan Ravnik, were sent home.
Hendrix is expected to return to compete in the next episode, which will air Nov. 4 and have a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame theme.
The post Contestant’s Painful Injury Shocks ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fans appeared first on The Daily Beast.
