He’s ready for a comeback! Maksim Chmerkovskiy thinks he still has a shot at winning season 24 of Dancing With the Stars despite his devastating calf injury after week one.
In an video aired on Good Morning America Friday, March 31, the 37-year-old mirrorball champ is seen video-chatting with his partner, Heather Morris, and troupe dancer Alan Bersten, who is temporarily filling in for him.
“I still feel like we have a chance,” he tells them. “You deserve it and I want to give you 150 percent effort and be physically active as I was at my best when nothing hurt. I want to come back and win.”
The Ukranian hunk hurt his calf while practicing a spin with Morris, 30, during rehearsals last week. He was forced to sit out week two of the competition and recently underwent surgery. The longtime pro shared a pic from his hospital bed in Ashtabula, Ohio, Wednesday, March 29. “Gettin’ un-broken… #seedsorthopaedics,” he captioned it.
Chmerkovskiy has been cheering on the Glee alum from the sidelines while he works on his recovery. He spoke out for the first time about his injury after Monday’s episode. “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 wrote. “I promise this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me.”
The sidelined dancer’s fiancée and fellow pro, Peta Murgatroyd, told Us Weekly that he can’t wait to hit the dance floor again. “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 told Us Monday, March 27.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
