Maura Higgins suffered a painful neck injury during Dancing With The Stars rehearsals.
Rehearsal footage aired during Tuesday’s episode showed her on the floor in pain as a medic came to help. After her live routine, Maura told co-host Julianne Hough the problem had been troubling her for several weeks.
The 35-year-old had worried that the discomfort could disrupt her performance when it mattered most. Instead, she and professional partner Mark Ballas received strong scores, alongside some technical criticism.
Despite the neck injury, the partnership scored 33 out of 40 in the latest episode.
Maura Higgins earns praise for her Dancing With The Stars Tango
Their fifth competitive routine was a Tango to Rihanna’s Only Girl (In the World). The pair were taking part in Super Bowl Night, which featured music from previous half-time performances.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each awarded the couple eight points. Guest judge Joe Buck gave them nine, bringing their total to 33.
Bruno described the Tango as “thrilling from start to finish”, praising Maura’s elegance on the dance floor.
Carrie Ann called it “a beautiful performance”, but wanted some movements to have more definition.
Maura Higgins reveals worsening neck pain
The rehearsal sequence revealed the painful build-up to that live performance. Maura repeatedly winced and reached towards her neck as she practised with Mark.
Eventually, she cried out and fell to the floor, holding the back of her neck. Mark crouched beside his partner, while a medic rushed over as she remained bent down.
Speaking to the cameras, Maura explained that she had felt a twinge on the left side of her neck.
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“I genuinely feel like it’s getting worse,” she said.
Her concern centred on the live show: she feared another painful episode could spoil the evening.
Later, Maura thanked the show’s physiotherapist, Dr Gina Minchella, for helping her with the problem. She told Julianne she was doing stretches and trying to look after her neck.
She acknowledged she would have to deal with the problem, despite the help she had received.
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