Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has revealed she suffered a foot injury during rehearsals just days before her scheduled debut on season 35 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
The 56-year-old television personality shared the news on Sunday via Instagram, showing her followers a severely bruised middle toe.
Despite the injury, the Rome-born star and former Food Network staple remains determined to compete alongside her professional dance partner, Alan Bersten.
"So I had a great day at rehearsals today, but sadly, I busted my toe," she said in a video clip on the social media platform.
Bruised toe will not stop ballroom plans
Urging her followers to take a look at the damage, she pointed out the deep discoloration. "You can see, it's quite purple, and it wraps all the way around," she said.
She predicted she would certainly lose her toenail as a result of the accident, but maintained it would not foil her plans for the ballroom.
"I don't know, it hurts, but we'll figure it out tomorrow, part of the game," she added.
She captioned the social media post, "You know what they say... no pain, no gain," alongside emojis of a high heel and a mirror ball.
Representatives for De Laurentiis were contacted for further comment on the story.
De Laurentiis rose to fame as a prominent figure on the Food Network, hosting popular cooking shows such as Everyday Italian and Giada at Home. Her culinary empire includes bestselling cookbooks, restaurants, and a catering business, making her one of the most recognizable television chefs in the United States.
Born in Italy to a family with deep roots in the film industry, she studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before building her culinary career. Her transition from the kitchen to the dance floor marks a significant departure from her usual television appearances.
Physical demands of the dance floor
Speaking to People magazine earlier this month, De Laurentiis discussed the physical toll of the training process.
She said the intense preparation had caused her to discover muscles she did not even know she possessed.
"I mean, who knew that my quad muscles were so weak?" she remarked.
Elaborating on the initial soreness, she recalled an interaction with a security guard after her very first day of practice.
"After the first day of rehearsal, the security guard who walked me to my car was like, 'Do you want to hold onto me going down the stairs? You look like you might fall over,'" she said. "I said, 'I didn't realize how much pain I'm in.'"
Dancing with the Stars is a long-running television competition where celebrities are paired with professional ballroom dancers to perform choreographed routines each week. The pairs are judged by a panel of ballroom experts and voted on by the viewing audience at home.
Winning couples are awarded the show's iconic Mirrorball Trophy. Season 35 marks another milestone for the popular franchise, which has been on the air for nearly two decades.
The series is known for its rigorous rehearsal schedules and demanding physical requirements. Ballroom dancing requires immense core strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance.
The transition to professional-level choreography often challenges the celebrity contestants, as rehearsals typically span several hours a day, multiple days a week. Competitors frequently face minor injuries such as muscle strains, blisters, and bruised toes like the one De Laurentiis sustained during their time in the rehearsal studio.
Mental toll of learning choreography
De Laurentiis mentioned that friends who have previously competed on the series had warned her about the extreme physical demands.
"It is an unbelievable experience, but it's a lot on your body, so be prepared," she said she was told.
Her partner for the upcoming season, Bersten, is a veteran professional dancer on the series who previously won the show's Mirrorball Trophy. He has guided several celebrity partners through the demanding competition.
Beyond the physical strain, the celebrity chef also noted the massive amount of effort put toward learning the complex dance routines.
"What I didn't realize beside the body is the mind, like how tired mentally I would be from learning something so foreign that, literally, I would go home and just want to veg out," she explained.
She described the experience as being completely out of character for her usual energetic self.
"It was kind of crazy, and it's so out of who I am. I'm always go, go, go no matter what," she said. "But with this, it's like it just made my brain like mush. I couldn't think straight."
