Giada De Laurentiis has suffered an injury, just one week before she's due to compete on Dancing With The Stars. De Laurentiis, a celebrity chef, posted a video to her Instagram page on Tuesday, September 8, showing a noticeably bruised middle toe on her right foot.
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"So, I had a great day at rehearsals today," De Laurentiis says to start the video. "But sadly, I busted my toe. Take a look. There's my toe; as you can see, it's quite purple. And it wraps all the way around. I'm for sure going to lose my toenail, I think. Anyway, it hurts, but we'll figure it out tomorrow. Part of the game."
De Laurentiis has been partnered with Alan Bersten for season 35 of the celebrity dance show. It premieres on Tuesday, September 15.
Nevertheless, De Laurentiis will face stiff competition, with the likes of Jenna Dewan (Step Up and The Rookie actress) and Harry Shum Jr (Glee) both expected to do well. Notably, both Dewan and Shum have previous dance experience, which will certainly give them a sizeable advantage.
Still, for De Laurentiis, her decision to compete on DWTS has been years in the making. During a recent interview with E! News, she revealed the show had approached her multiple times in the past.
"This time, I thought, with my daughter pushing me and with my daughter out of my house [at college] this is a really good time for me to go on a new adventure and push myself to do something I've never done," she explained.
Dewan Doesn't Believe It's Unfair That She's Competing on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Since Jenna Dewan was announced as a competitor for this year's DTWS, fans have questioned whether her participation is fair to the other contestants. After all, she's a former backup dancer for Janet Jackson and has showcased her dance skills on countless occasions.
During a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Dewan clapped back at those critics.
"Let's be clear. It's two different languages," Dewan said. "...There's parts of my dance training that's helpful, obviously. I've learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me."
Still, there's no denying that De Laurentiis, even before her toe injury, was facing an uphill battle to win the competition. Because when you're facing down former professional dancers, the odds are firmly stacked against you.
