Maura Higgins Sustains Painful Neck Injury During Dancing With The Stars Rehearsals
The "Love Island UK" star experienced significant pain during practice for her Tango, expressing concerns about the injury impacting her performance.
Maura Higgins, a contestant on "Dancing With The Stars," has sustained a painful neck injury that is worsening as the competition progresses. The reality television personality experienced the injury during rehearsals for her fifth performance, a Tango routine to Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)."
Footage broadcast during Tuesday night's episode showed Higgins writhing on the floor in agony as medics attended to her. She was seen wincing and grabbing the back of her neck before falling, prompting her professional dance partner, Mark Ballas, and a medic to rush to her aid.
Higgins, 35, who gained fame on "Love Island UK," has been a standout performer on the current season of the US show, consistently achieving high scores with Ballas.
"I've been having this like twinge in the left side of my neck," Higgins explained to the cameras. "I genuinely feel like it's getting worse," she added, expressing concern that the injury might "ruin" her live performance.
Despite the setback, Higgins and Ballas still delivered a strong performance during "Super Bowl Night," earning a score of 33 out of 40. Judge Bruno Tonioli described their routine as "thrilling from start to finish," while Carrie Ann Inaba praised the performance but noted that "some of the movements could be more punctuated." Derek Hough pointed out that her neck and head positioning in a specific move went too far back, breaking the line of her spine.
Higgins later provided an update on her condition, admitting that the twinges had been present for several weeks. She thanked the show's physiotherapist, Dr. Gina Minchella, for her assistance. "My neck is – you know, it's been playing up for weeks and it just seems to be getting worse, but good on Gina; [she] took a look at me. Her and her magic hands," Higgins told co-host Julianne Hough. She stated her intention to continue with her stretches and self-care, acknowledging it as something she "will have to deal with."
The "Super Bowl Night" episode saw Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy tie for the top score with Paralympian Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach. However, the night also marked the elimination of Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, who had consistently received low scores.