Hoofer Derek Hough walked the "Dancing With the Stars" post-show press line without his celebrity partner, Amber Riley, Monday night. As mentioned during the broadcast, the "Glee" star has been in pain lately due to ongoing problems related to an injured knee. Now Hough's worried about whether or not Riley can continue to compete,
"This week was really tough,” the four-time mirror ball champion told TODAY. "She literally couldn’t walk. It was pretty bad."
Riley and Hough’s next move will be to figure out how serious her injury is. "We had some talks about things (on Sunday)," he said. "Now, we’re going to get the MRIs and the injections — all the tricks. We’re going to see what’s going on and assess the situation."
In past seasons, celebrities, including Dorothy Hamill, Misty May Treanor and Tom DeLay, have voluntarily left the show due to injuries. And while Hough has a drive to win, he insisted he’ll only push Riley — or any star — so far.
"Personally, I won’t ever be part of something that risks permanent injury," the pro dancer noted. "We’re going to look at everything. If they say OK, then we’re going to make it work and make it happen."
So, unless they get bad news, Hough's choosing to remain optimistic that he and Riley will continue on in the semifinals.
“We’ve come so far and done so well,” he said. “People have been upping their games this season. I’ve had to be careful and be a little safe (because of Amber’s knee). I’m trying to figure out how we can still be competitive.”