Derek Hough talks condition and whether he can perform on 'Dancing with the Stars'

The fate of Dancing with the Stars favorite Derek Hough remains in question!


Hough, 29, sustains injuries that may prohibit him from performing on Dancing with the Stars Monday night and in future episodes with his Olympic gymnast partner Nastia Liukin.

As previously confirmed by Hough's representative, the pro dancer was taken to the emergency room last week after smashing his foot during a rehearsal for the show's upcoming tenth-anniversary special and subsequently falling down the stairs. He was later diagnosed with a broken toe on his right foot, sprains to his left ankle and a bruised bone on his left ankle.

"The good news is I'm healing quickly. I don't need surgery or anything. I'm already off the crutches, which is really good. I've been doing physiotherapy and rehab, and it's very promising. I'm just trying to be careful because I have a busy year still left. I just want to make sure I'm 100 percent in shape," Hough wrote in his TV Guide blog.

Hough has been rehabbing his injuries in Los Angeles since the incident.


"I talked to my physio and he said, 'There's gonna come a time where you feel good and you feel like you can dance. But remember you still have a tear in your ankle and a broken toe.' I'm trying to be smart and intelligent about it and make sure I truly am feeling good," he said.

"It's one thing if you heal something like this and you're just going about the day, walking again, but dancing is a different beast. You twist and turn and jump and flip. It's a whole different level of recovery that you need to achieve."

Hough confirmed that Liukin has been rehearsing with DWTS Troupe member Sasha Farber for tonight's show while he's been out.

"I'm still choreographing the routine and I'm in all the rehearsals. We're figuring out some different little things to do. We'll make it fun and interesting. Sasha's doing a great job. It's cool because we have the modern Charleston this week and he's got some good ideas," Hough wrote in the TV Guide blog.

Hough insisted, however, that withdrawing from the ABC reality dancing competition "was never an option."


"Dancing with the Stars is not about me or any pro. It's about the celebrities. It's their journey. I'm part of the journey, but it's not my journey. I want Nastia to have the best possible chance of winning," he noted.

"You know, she makes it look easy, but we put the work in... She's a very hard worker and very determined, and I definitely feel like she can go all the way. There are other factors in play, but I feel like she can win."

The five-time mirrorball champion said he's kind of "taking it one day at a time right now." He can't predict how he'll feel or what's going to happen because he's never broken a bone in his body before.

"So that's the only thing I'm not used to because I literally can't push through it. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and be magically healed! I'm really doing everything I can to recover as quickly as possible. I'm still doing cryotherapy, taking some herbs, I have topical medication that makes the skin heal faster," Hough explained.

"[I'll do] whatever it takes!... It sucks, but there's always a reason for everything. I always say life doesn't happen to you, it happens for you, so I just have to wait this out."


Hough has been pulling double duty with DWTS and the Spring Spectacular show in New York City.

Fellow Dancing with the Stars competitors Robert Herjavec and his pro partner Kym Johnson talked to E! News about Hough's condition.

"I don't know if he's out for the rest of the season," Johnson told E! News. "He's at the studio, he's definitely involved in all of the rehearsals. He's still choreographing it, sitting down, explaining what he wants... he's still part of the team, he might be back. I'm not sure!"

"He's working really hard," Herjavec added.

Dancing with the Stars' next twentieth-season episode airs Monday night from 8-10PM ET/PT on ABC.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski