On the mend! Daniella Karagach was injured while performing during the Dancing With the Stars Live 2022 tour.
“Daniella unfortunately sustained an injury during last night’s show,” a rep for the touring production told Us Weekly on Thursday, March 17, about the 29-year-old mirrorball champ. “She was tended to by our on-tour physio and then treated at a local hospital. She is resting now and receiving excellent care. The entire cast and crew is wishing her a speedy recovery.”
Karagach and her season 30 partner, Iman Shumpert, had been performing across the United States alongside the rest of the ABC professionals. The tour rep explained that Karagach’s injuries were sustained mid-performance during the Wednesday, March 16, show in Riverside, California.
The World of Dance alum — who married fellow DWTS pro Pasha Pashkov in July 2014 — announced via her social media that she will be sitting out the rest of the tour.
“Well, this was definitely not the way I thought tour would end but I’m grateful for the time I had. This was truly a special experience for me and I’ve had the best time being a part of this immensely talented cast,” Karagach wrote via Instagram on Thursday. “I love my @dancingabc fam so much and I know you guys will keep kicking ass!! 🥺💜 To the fans and friends, I love you. Thank you for your love, kindness and always showing 100% of your support for us. This @dwtstourofficial would be nothing without you all. The moments I had on that stage was something I’ll never be able to express. Dancing for you guys was exhilarating. Im so grateful.”
The New York native joined the ABC competition in 2019 as a member of the troupe. The following season she was partnered with rapper Nelly, and they made it all the way to the finals. Later, she and Shumpert, 31, took home the mirrorball during season 30.
“My name will get talked about a lot for this, but I couldn’t have had a better coach [or] made a better friend,” the NBA athlete gushed about Karagach to Us and other reporters shortly after the November 2021 finale. “Seriously, like, if this is not an ode to all the incredible work that you’ve done over your lifetime of being a real professional dancer — to be able to cram years of experience into what? We’ve been here three months? To see the end result be me holding the mirrorball, you’re an incredible person, an incredible teacher and incredible coach and an amazing friend. So thank you, Dancing With the Stars, for pairing me with DJ yellow.”
Karagach echoed her partner’s sentiments, noting, “We just had such a good time and that’s all we cared about. That’s all we wanted to do is just have a good finale. It’s the last time we get to dance together and we enjoyed the crap out of it.”
Karagach’s health scare comes after fellow pro Artem Chigvintsev left the tour in January while battling pneumonia. (Us confirmed his return nearly one month later after recuperating.)
“Hi DWTS family — My time on tour so far has been wonderful — unfortunately I am having to step away from tour for a while, due to some unexpected health issues,” the Russia native, 39, wrote in an Instagram statement on January 20. “My goal is to recover as quickly as possible so I can rejoin my cast and crew on this incredible tour.”
Dancing With the Stars Live 2022 runs through Sunday, March 27.
