DWTS's Melissa Gilbert Taken Out of Ballroom on Stretcher
TVGuide.com reports that DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 14 contestant Melissa Gilbert was taken out of the ballroom on a stretcher last night, just moments after she performed the paso doble with dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The actress, who only recently recovered from major back surgery, had reportedly hit the back of her head during a "dramatic drop" in the middle of the routine.
Explained dance pro Val Chemerkovskiy, "One of the tricks she did, she hit her head. But there was adrenaline, so she recovered and everything was good. She came upstairs [to the Dancing skybox, where she did her post-dance interview], she sat down, and then she started getting really dizzy. When there are concussion symptoms, you want to check that out right away."
Added pro Derek Hough, "We're worried because she's actually had back and neck injuries. For me, I know when I [danced with] Jennifer [Grey], I was terrified. If she ever even grabbed her neck, it was like, 'Oh, my gosh.' So for Melissa to be on a stretcher is pretty terrifying."
Gilbert is best known for playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on the long-running hit series, Little House On The Prairie. The 47-year-old hurt her back when she fell during the national tour of the Little House musical in 2010. Doctors discovered that she had broken her back and had a cracked vertebrae that required major surgery and the insertion of permanent titanium screws in her spine. The recovery took more than a year.
A representative for ABC commented, "We wanted her to get checked out. We'll have a statement on her condition [Tuesday] on the show."
