Key Points
Giada De Laurentiis told Entertainment Weekly after the Dancing With the Stars season 35 premiere that partner Alan Bersten broke her toe.
“My knee landed on her foot,” the professional dancer admitted.
The duo received a score of 16 out of 30 for their first performance.
Women really can do anything.
Giada De Laurentiis revealed to Entertainment Weekly after Wednesday’s Dancing With the Stars live show that dance partner Alan Bersten broke her toe during “the end” of one of their dance ahead of their premiere performance.
“People don’t know that her toe’s broken. Her middle toe on her left foot,” Bersten said. “We were doing a show and tell for the first time in front of people, and we got a little excited. You know how we finished down on the knee? My knee landed on her foot.”
De Laurentiis corrected Bersten, telling EW that he “smashed” her toe. “It’s numb,” the celebrity chef added, explaining that Bersten had her continue to dance through the injury.
“Really lucky that it was the middle toe. The balance isn’t affected by it as much,” Bersten continued. “To me, Giada’s a fighter. She fought for every step we earned. She fought through the pain. I’m so proud of her.”
De Laurentiis told EW that she planned to “ice” her toe after leaving the ballroom. “I’ve been icing for eight days straight. Epsom salt and ice every night.”
The pair danced a tango to “Venus” by Shocking Blue, receiving a score of 16 out of 30 from the judges. Prior to her routine, the former Food Network star told the crowd that her 18-year-old daughter, Jade, is the one who inspired her to go on the show.
“You just showed your daughter what it is to do something scary,” judge Carrie Ann Inaba declared. “You showed all of us what it is like to do something scary, and you did it with class.”
Derek Hough said that he loved “the joy” that De Laurentiis had during the dance. “You have all the ingredients, now I just need you to cook with conviction.” Bruno Tonioli agreed, telling De Laurentiis that she needed to “blend” her dance “a little bit more.”
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De Laurentiis got visibly emotional during the judges’ feedback, even breaking down in tears before getting her scores. Bersten hugged his partner and kissed her on the head before getting emotional himself.
“I think [my daughter] just wanted me to step outside the box and do something that I’m very afraid of doing, and try something at my age that I think that a lot of us give up on in our 50s,” she said. “I think that’s why she wanted me to do it, and I did it.”
New episodes of Dancing With the Stars season 35 premiere on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
