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Maksim Chmerkovskiy Opens Up About Calf Injury That Sidelined Him on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Not giving up! Maksim Chmerkovskiy opened up about the calf injury that sidelined him from this week’s episode of Dancing With the Stars

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The 37-year-old ballroom champ hurt himself during rehearsals on Friday, March 24, while practicing a spin with his partner, Heather Morris. Footage of the moment, which aired on Good Morning America on Monday, showed the choreographer holding his leg while exclaiming, “It’s my calf muscle. It just felt like something hit it.”

Chmerkovskiy shared an Instagram post after Monday’s episode, praising the Glee alum for nailing the jive with troupe dancer Alan Bersten during his absence. “I’m so proud of @heatherelizabeth for getting it done in an amazing fashion! I’m sorry I couldn’t be next to you, but I promise to work harder than ever and get my ass back to the ballroom as soon as humanly possible!,” he captioned the pic of himself and Morris goofing around during week one. “HUGE (but not that huge 😜) Thank You to @alanbersten for stepping in at the last second and doing a great job!”

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The Ukranian hunk promised that although he’s out indefinitely, viewers will see him compete again. “And finally, to all our fans… I’ve said in the beginning of the season that I was back because of how supportive you’ve always been to me and I promise that this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me,” he wrote. “I will make every effort to make you proud yet… In the mean time PLEASE VOTE FOR #teamMaksimumHeat !!!”

Chmerkovskiy and his fiancée, Peta Murgatroyd, both returned to the ABC dancing competition this year after welcoming their son, Shai, in January. The new dad vowed that he wouldn’t be back for season 24 to spend time with his child, but later realized he couldn’t stay away. Murgatroyd, 30, who sat out last season due to her pregnancy, is paired with former Bachelor Nick Viall.

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Murgatroyd told Us Weekly on Monday that her longtime love is staying positive despite the circumstances. “His spirits are a little bit lifted right now, and he’s kind of looking forward to getting it taken care of and getting it treated so he can get back out and dance,” she said.

Val Chmerkovskiy, who is competing with Normani Kordei, added that is difficult to see his brother temporarily out of the competition. “It was actually very, very tough,” he told Us. “We’re tough dudes, tough love, that kind of runs in our family to suck it up and keep moving, but it was very shocking because I’ve never really seen my brother in pain before or like, be sidelined about anything. He always keeps moving, so it’s hard. He’s always there for me. I’m always getting hurt, and he’s always taking care of me, so this was kind of a flipped situation.”

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