Julia Stiles was eliminated from Dancing with the Stars on Disney Night, marking the season's most surprising departure. The actress, 45, and her partner Ezra Sosa, 25, were sent home after Stiles sustained and struggled with a rib injury.
During rehearsals, Stiles fell to the floor, experiencing renewed pain in her rib. "A few weeks ago, I hurt my rib pretty bad," she explained. "There's already a lot of challenges to this show. I don't need another obstacle thrown my way. I'm going to be fine."
Despite her determination to stay in the competition, the injury proved to be a significant hurdle. On the dance floor, Stiles and Sosa performed a paso doble that earned them a score of 33 out of 40 and praise from the judges. Bruno Tonioli commented, "Now, that is how you tell a story," while Carrie Ann Inaba recognized Stiles's effort, stating, "I see you digging deep. I see you turning real emotion, real raw emotion, into beautiful dancing."
However, the performance was not enough to save them from elimination. After the results were announced, Stiles expressed her gratitude for the experience, saying, "It was an incredible experience. I pulled things out of myself that I didn't realize were there." She also spoke highly of her partner, "Ezra is just an amazing person I’m going to be sad not to see him every day."
Sosa reciprocated the sentiment, telling Stiles, "Just to see your growth in and out of the ballroom has been an honor, I’m so lucky I got to share this experience with you."
Meanwhile, Jenna Dewan and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy achieved their first perfect score of the season, tying for the top spot on the leaderboard with Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.