Robert Irwin has spoken out about the rib injury that nearly derailed his triumphant US Dancing With The Stars performance.
A clearly elated Robert and dance partner Witney Carson appeared on Good Morning America following their big win, and the subject of Robert’s ribs was high on the agenda.
‘You injured your rib, but you pressed on. So, how’s the injury now?’ co-host Michael Strahan asked.
Robert admitted that although he’s on the mend, the injury is still causing him pain.
‘We’re getting there,’ Robert replied.
‘It’s painful. But no pain, no gain. It’s all good!’
Robert Irwin has opened up about the rib injury that threatened to derail his winning US Dancing With The Stars performance
Robert was quick to praise Witney for adapting their routines to accommodate his injury.
‘We wanted to push through. Witney was amazing in changing up some of the moves that we had to do in there,’ he said.
‘We had to change on the fly, but our last dance, that freestyle, was our way to say “thank you” to everybody who had been on that journey.
‘We knew we had to make it work because it was a way to say we were so grateful for this experience.’
Robert added that he was used to such maladies, given his history of catching crocodiles.
When co-host George Stephanopoulos asked if he was having trouble breathing, Robert brushed off the suggestion with a classic Australian response.
‘Yeah, but it’s all good. It’ll be right,’ Robert replied.
‘Honestly, we were having that much fun that I didn’t even realise there was an issue until the end because the adrenaline and the passion and the fun of it all, it overrides anything.’
A clearly elated Robert and dance partner Witney Carson appeared on Good Morning America following their big win and the subject of Robert’s ribs was high on the agenda
When co-host George Stephanopoulos asked if he was having trouble breathing, Robert brushed off the suggestion with typically Australian response
Robert and Witney emerged triumphant over a competitive field that included influencer Alix Earle, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, actor Elaine Hendrix, and Zac Efron’s brother, Dylan Efron.
The couples performed three dances in the marathon finale – an instant dance challenge, judges’ choice, and freestyle.
The pair scored 29 out of a possible 30 for their first turn, before nabbing perfect scores for the final two dances.
It proved to be quite the nail-biter, with Robert and Witney finishing the night tied second on the leaderboard with Jordan Chiles on 89 points, sitting behind Alix Earle’s 90 points.
However, the fan-favourite couple were declared winners thanks to a combined total of judges’ and public votes.
Before their winning turn, Witney revealed on TikTok that Robert had been dealing with a rib injury in the lead-up to the finale.
Speaking before the pair’s final on-set rehearsal, Witney then revealed that Robert had been practising the routines through gritted teeth.
‘Robert’s ribs have been killing him,’ she said.
Robert and Witney scored 29 out of a possible 30 for their first turn, before nabbing perfect scores for the final two dances
The pair emerged triumphant over a competitive field that included influencer Alix Earle, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, actor Elaine Hendrix, and Zac Efron’s brother, Dylan Efron
Despite his injury, Witney said that Robert had been pushing through regardless.
‘Knowing Robert, he’s going to want to rehearse until the very last second,’ she said.
‘Last night, we stayed at the studio until it closed down.
‘They had to kick us out at nine pm. We’re going to have absolutely no regrets by the end of this.’
Lifting Mirrorball Trophies is now an Irwin family tradition, with Robert’s sister Bindi, 27, winning the coveted prize in 2015.
