Maksim Chmerkovskiy is itching to get back on the dance floor after he injured his leg, and according to the Dancing with the Stars pro, that time is almost here.
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Maksim, 37, suffered a tear in his calf muscle while rehearsing a routine with Glee star Heather Morris two weeks ago and had to undergo surgery.
While he's recovering, Heather has been performing with Dancing with the Stars Troupe member Alan Bersten on the show, and the pair have been doing well.
But during last night's Dancing with the Stars broadcast, Maksim revealed he wants to come back and win Season 24 with Heather. So when does he anticipate his return?
"I'm walking now. I'm making strides a little faster than expected," Maksim told co-host Erin Andrews backstage after Heather and Alan danced an excellent tango to Britney Spears' song "Toxic."
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"I'm hoping for a full comeback at the end of this week, and then we'll start rehearsing."
Erin then asked Maksim whether he thinks he'll be back on the dance floor for next week's Dancing with the Stars episode, during which the celebrities will discuss the most memorable years of their lives.
"We'll see. We'll see," Maksim noted. "For now, I'm just excited about this dance. I think we wanted exactly what ended up happening. All the comments came out like exactly what we said."
Heather and Alan received 33 out of 40 points, including the first 9 of the season, from the Dancing with the Stars judges last night. Carrie Ann Inaba gave the pair the 9 for their tango, while Julianne Hough, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman each scored Heather and Alan an 8.
"I thought [our dance] was fantastic," Heather told Erin after receiving her high scores from the judging panel. "It's so weird and fun at the same time to get a nine! Like, whoa, okay!"
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Heather and Alan therefore landed in a tie for second place on the judges' leaderboard with iconic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan and her pro partner Artem Chigvintsev.
In the first two weeks of the Dancing with the Stars competition, Heather finished in third place both times. Maksim told E! News last month he believes they have a "massive advantage" because she had served as a professional backup dancer for the one and only Beyonce on tour.
"But I don't think we're the only ones that could pull off beautiful, beautiful numbers," Maksim clarified at the time. "I'm ready for us to be scrutinized a little different and judged a little different, and rightfully so. We'll do our best."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski