Just days before Julie Goodwin was set to make her Dancing With The Stars debut, she was left devastated after a calf injury forced her to sit out the first round.
However, the former MasterChef Australia contestant refused to give up and has opened up to Chattr about how determined she was to return to the stage and compete.
“There were tears. It was devastating; it was so disappointing. We were all so excited to kick off, and it was just such an anti-climax,” she said in the interview following the DWTS 2024 premiere.
Julie had spent a considerable amount of time rehearsing for the show, and the injury occurred during rehearsals just before she was due to compete.
“We’d been rehearsing for about five weeks,” she said. “Well, and truly more than 40 hours a week… and then I injured myself right before the first dance.”
How did Julie Goodwin’s injury happen?
Julie was rehearsing with her partner, Andrey Gorbunov, when the medical emergency struck.
“We were rehearsing the jive, and there’s this little part of it where I do a little run-up, then launch myself at Andrey, and he lifts me up and spins me around,” she explained.
“During the launch movement, I felt my calf go. It was like a guitar string snapping, and it was instant agony. The scans showed that it was a significant tear in the calf muscles.”
Reflecting on the moment, Julie said that it was abundantly clear how serious her injury was.
“I knew instantly it was going to be a showstopper. I was in so much pain, sweat just poured out of my whole body. It was agonising,” she added.
Did Julie rejoin Dancing With The Stars 2024?
She did! Despite the seriousness of her injury, Julie refused to take the doctor’s advice, who recommended she leave Dancing With The Stars.
“I was told in all honesty that I probably wouldn’t be able to [return to the competition], but we decided collectively to keep trying,” she said.
“There was acupuncture, massage, exercise, and meditation—absolutely everything I could think of that would help me get back on the road.”
Watch Dancing With The Stars 2024 on Sundays from 7pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
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