Derek Hough Talks: ‘Withdrawing Was Never An Option’ After ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Injury

Derek Hough suffered a double-whammy earlier this week in rehearsals for the Dancing With the Stars anniversary special. The competition’s seasoned pro, who has been jetting back and forth between Los Angeles and New York to perform on the program and participate in New York’s Spring Spectacular, injured both feet. He broke his right toe and sprained his left ankle. Although it was revealed his DWTS partner Nastia Liukin has been rehearsing with Sasha Farber, the show has been mum as to whether or not Derek will be out for the season.

In his TV Guide blog, published Friday, Hough re-affirmed his commitment to Nastia and the program, while admitting he’s taking it slow to prevent re-injury.

“Withdrawing was never an option. ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is not about me or any pro. It’s about the celebrities. It’s their journey. I’m part of the journey, but it’s not my journey. I want Nastia to have the best possible chance of winning…. There are other factors in play, but I feel like she can win.

“I’m just kind of taking it one day at a time right now. I have never broken a bone in my body before, so that’s the only thing I’m not used to because I literally can’t push through it. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and be magically healed!”

Hough said the universe may have been sending him a message through the unique circumstances of the accident. After breaking his toe while dancing, he hobbled to get ice — only to fall down the stairs and sprain the opposite ankle.

Derek revealed that he has been attending rehearsals and helping to choreograph Nastia’s routines.

The fact that Nastia is dancing with Sasha, at least for the moment, is ironic considering the judges’ comments on Monday only a day before Hough’s injury. Hough and Liukin both have busy schedules and are commuting back and forth between New York and Los Angeles, Liukin to attend classes at NYU. Derek’s sister, Julianne, commented Monday on the distance between the two when they dance, even now, several weeks into the competition.

“Over all, I felt the dance is super fun and entertaining to watch but I felt that you didn’t connect as a couple.”

Meanwhile, Liukin has been posting positive messages to her Twitter feed to confirm her commitment to her partnership with Derek.

#TeamHoughkinForever pic.twitter.com/8EJ4IALwxT

— Nastia Liukin (@NastiaLiukin) April 23, 2015

Derek wrote on his blog that although he’s off the crutches he has been cautioned by his physiotherapist to take it slow. That’s what he’s trying to do since he has a number of dancing commitments yet to fulfill in 2015.

“I’m trying to be smart and intelligent about it and make sure I truly am feeling good. It’s one thing if you heal something like this and you’re just going about the day, walking again, but dancing is a different beast. You twist and turn and jump and flip. It’s a whole different level of recovery that you need to achieve.”

Dancing With the Stars airs Monday and Tuesday next week. Nastia Liukin is scheduled to dance the Charleston. Hough said Sasha Farber has “some good ideas” for the routine.

The Dancing With the Stars anniversary special, which led to Hough’s injury, will also air next week.

[Derek Hough image courtesy of Getty]