Exclusive

Danica McKellar Sounds Off on Her DWTS Injury: "The Show Must Go on!"

Exclusive! The Wonder Years star performed with a broken rib on Monday's show, and opened up about her injury after the ABC reality hit's show

By Tierney Bricker Apr 29, 2014 3:49 PMTags
Watch: Danica McKellar Talks "DWTS" Injuries

Winnie Cooper may be down, but she's not out!

After suffering a painful injury during practice on Friday, Danica McKellar was able to perform though the pain of a broken rib on Dancing With the Stars on Monday night. Despite her fractured rib, McKellar and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy were able to score a healthy 33 points for the salsa and avoided the bottom three. (Real Housewives star NeNe Leakes was eliminated.)

But how was McKellar feeling after her two dances on Monday night? She and Chmerkovskiy chatted with E! News backstage after the show, where McKellar opened up about her condition and weighed in on all of the ABC reality hit's latest injuries.

ABC/Craig Sjodin

"It's sore, but as long as nobody bumps into it, I'm OK!" McKellar assured E! News.

And though she's still in pain, McKellar said withdrawing from the competition is not an option.

"I just had to keep going," she told us. "The show must go on…[we're] trying to be smart, but stay in the game."

But McKellar isn't the only Season 18 star to suffer a serious injury: Billy Dee Williams was forced to quit the show due to chronic back pain and Amy Purdy was hospitalized after Monday night's show due to a shoulder injury she suffered during her performance.

So why are there so many injuries this season?

"It's just that time in the competition where us non-athletes, our bodies are going, 'Wait, what are you doing? Slow down!'" McKellar explained. "You know, we're just not used to the stress, the physical stress of it."

So how will McKellar and Chmerkovskiy prepare for next week's show despite her injury? Watch our interview with the couple above to find out!

Dancing With the Stars airs Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC.