Normani Kordei is opening up about the painful back injury she's dealing with on Dancing with the Stars.
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The Fifth Harmony member, who has become a frontrunner on Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars, revealed to Us Weekly that she has a "severe strain" in both her upper back and hip, which is connected to a ligament that's largely torn.
"I'm on medication, and I just have to pace myself and take things step by step," Normani told Us.
"[The doctor] literally told me if I keep going at the rate that I'm going that I could crack my hip, which I don't want. I have three weeks left of the competition and it's, like, so close, but so far. I just have to play it smart."
In a video package that aired during Monday night's Dancing with the Stars performance show, Normani revealed to the cameras while practicing a move, "My back has been killing me. My hips have been killing me. I've got to suck it up. I'm 20-years-old. I only have one chance to do this."
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Flash forward to Normani sitting in a doctor's office. After analyzing the results of an X-Ray, a doctor informed Normani the "magnitude" of her strain is "fairly significant." He then suggested Normani take medication and "modify her performance" if she wants to continue competing on the ABC reality dancing competition.
In subsequent backstage footage, Normani appeared to be in a lot of pain while rehearsing for Monday night's challenging Argentine tango, but she pushed through it to the best of her ability.
In her interview with Us, Normani admitted that preparing for "A Night At the Movies" week on Dancing with the Stars was "stressful."
However, the singer and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy managed to score perfect tens from the four judges and win immunity from a double elimination. Normani and Val's high score also allowed the couple to relax while all of their opponents participated in a second "Dance-Off" round.
"I'm super proud of myself," Normani said after the show. "It's just kind of mind over matter, even though it can be... physical, and I really struggled this week in a constant battle with myself."
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In addition to her Dancing with the Stars commitment, Normani is also currently touring with Fifth Harmony, so she has little to no time to relax and rest her body.
"For Fifth Harmony shows, you know, we drop it low for the majority of the concert -- it's a 75 to 90-minute set, so it's a lot," Normani revealed. "I need help. Literally when I wake up in the morning, my mom has to help me."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski