On Monday, Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) announced that contestant Jeannie Mai, 41, will not be able to compete on the show due to a health concern that needs immediate medical attention.
DWTS tweeted, “Jeannie Mai will not be able to continue to compete on #DWTS this season due to a health concern that requires immediate attention. Jeannie has inspired us, along with millions of fans, with her energy and dedication. We wish her a full and speedy recovery.”
On Tuesday, Mai told CBS News, “It saddens me that I will not be able to continue with the competition on DWTS. My doctors discovered a health concern with my throat which requires immediate attention and surgery.”
“I am heartbroken that my DWTS journey has to end here,” Mai continued. “The last several weeks have been an amazing learning experience. I have pushed myself to new limits physically and mentally, and I am so proud of how far we’ve come.”
She added, “I can’t thank my partner Brandon enough for being so supportive and believing in me. I also want to thank MAI fans who voted every week and I wish everyone else in the competition the best of luck!”
ABC, which broadcasts DWTS, has reported that Mai was hospitalized after receiving the diagnosis of epiglottitis.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “epiglottitis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the epiglottis, a small cartilage ‘lid’ that covers your windpipe, swells, blocking the flow of air into your lungs.”
Garcelle Beauvais, one of Mai’s co-hosts on “The Real,” posted an image of Mai on Instagram captioning, “We Love you! Feel better.”
Another co-host Loni Love tweeted, “All the best to my friend @jeanniemai…get well soon!!!”
Brandon Armstrong, Mai’s DWTS partner, posted a long message on Instagram.
He wrote, “JEANNIE! I’m so sorry this happened to you! You don’t deserve it! Your journey on this show was so special so unique and so inspiring! I loved EVERY SINGLE WEEK that we got to go through this together! I hope I helped give you an experience that you’ll remember forever!” “We share a lot of good times, tough times and all the times in between but mainly, a lot of laughs! Mainly you laughing at me but hey I’ll take it!” Armstrong continued. “Thank you for giving me such an amazing season! We will all be praying for a speedy recovery!”
