Hours after initially revealing the news on her website, two-time Dancing with the Stars professional champion Julianne Hough confirmed on Monday's performance show that she has been diagnosed with endometriosis and will be temporarily leaving the show to undergo an appendectomy.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I guess it's kind of out there now -- I've got endometriosis, and I just found out, and I'm actually going into surgery tomorrow to remove my appendix," Hough told Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris after performing a samba with Hannah Montana star Cody Linley, her celebrity partner. "But everything's okay. I'm gonna hopefully be back -- if everything goes as planned -- next week."
Endometriosis is a condition which results in the development of uterine-lining tissue outside the uterus on the surfaces of organs (such as the appendix) in the pelvis or abdomen.
Hough also revealed that assuming he survives tonight's Dancing with the Stars results show, Linley will practice and perform with Edyta Sliwinska -- who had briefly performed on Dancing's seventh-season with comedian Jeffrey Ross before being eliminated in the first week -- until she is healthy enough to return to the show.
Hough and Linley's samba performance had received a score of 23 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Michael Flately, who replaced Len Goodman as a guest judge for this week's performances.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I'm sad that I won't be with Julianne, but I'm happy if I'm with Edyta. I'm just a little worried [about Julianne]," Linley told Harris patted Hough on the back in support.
Following Hough's announcement, both Harris and Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron wished Hough a speedy recovery, with Bergeron joking that Hough would make her short estimated recovery time from the surgery a reality.
"Only Julianne would say "I'm having my appendix out. Eh, I'll be back in a week," he joked.
Hough's toughness was apparently not only seen by those on the dance floor, as Dancing with the Stars' executive producer Conrad Green also noted that Hough would hopefully be back in the competition sooner rather than later.
"Julianne has been a real trouper about this," Green told USA Today. "Her doctors say she'll need four or five days (off) if everything goes hunk-dory."
ADVERTISEMENT
Hough's medical problems began last Tuesday when she was taken to the emergency room via ambulance after she revealed she had been feeling severe stomach pains during that night's Dancing with the Stars results show.
Although she had publicly stated she was "fine" and dismissed the incident as a "bad stomach," TMZ.com reported on Monday that test results showed she was suffering from an ovarian cyst and was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove both the cyst, and -- in an procedure reportedly unrelated to the cyst -- her appendix.
No mention of an ovarian cyst removal was made in Hough's television or website announcements of her upcoming surgery.
About The Author: John Bracchitta