Tonight, “Dancing with the Stars” begins following the healing process of professional dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, who lost a portion of her left leg in the Boston Marathon bombing.
“Somebody called someone — and I thank them a 100 times over — and they got in touch with me and have asked me to be a part of it and I’m so thrilled. I still pinch myself with that,” Adrianne told Access Hollywood, in a new interview.
It’s a closely guarded secret what fans of the show will see when the 32-year-old is featured on tonight’s show. But, backstage at Monday night’s “DWTS,” Derek Hough had a message for Adrianne.
PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season 16: Stevie Wonder Week
“Adrianne, we are thinking about you and praying for you and we are so inspired by your passion and enthusiasm for dance. And I have no doubt in my mind that you’re going to,” he said.
Adrianne told Access she would love to dance with Derek, and he would like that too.
PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With The Stars’: Highlights From Season 16
“When she’s ready and when she feels like she’s up for it, I will fly out to Boston and I will spend some time with her and we’ll dance,” he said.
Turns out, Adrianne already had a connection to the show before they reached out. Boston native Aly Raisman and her pro partner, Mark Ballas, met Adrianne when they rehearsed at the Arthur Murray dance studio where Adrianne is a teacher.
“I don’t really know what to say. Words can’t describe how sorry I am for everything that has happened,” Aly told Access when asked if she had a message for Adrianne. “I respect you so much, you’re an amazing woman, you’re an amazing person and I think you’re an inspiration to everyone how tough you are. I love you.”
Adrianne is dealing with not only physical rehabilitation but the emotional trauma of losing a portion of her left leg from the bombings. But, this trained, professional dancer is eager to move on with her life.
WATCH IT NOW: Kellie Pickler Surprised Over Her Immunity From Elimination On ‘Dancing’
“I’m looking forward to getting back into the studio soon,” Adrianne told Access.
Although she isn’t revealing much about her “DWTS” future, Adrianne has high inspirational hopes.
“I want to be able to show people that you can still triumph over such heartache and you should allow yourself to have bad days, maybe even a bad month or two,” she said.
And dancing with Derek would be icing on the cake.
“But yeah, it would be wonderful to triumph over that — all of those bad days and dance with him or anyone from the cast, I think, would be a huge triumph in my recovery,” she told Access.
Adrianne has physical therapy from 8 AM to 2 or 3 PM every day and she often reminds herself it’s only been just over two weeks since the attack.
“I’m on a plan. So, right now, I have my stitches in and my gauze,” she said. ”It’s continuing to shrink down over and over again, which is wonderful. … Once my stitches are out, I have a fitted sock that will go on it …and then I get my prosthetic. So, we’re about six to eight weeks out. My overachieving self wants to do it in four. We’ll see.
“My surgeon joked that I need a baby gate because he’s afraid that as soon as they put on the prosthetic on, I’m just going to go for it,” she added.
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.