Giada De Laurentiis is getting ready to hit the ballroom floor with a painful new problem.
The celebrity chef, 56, revealed Tuesday that she “busted her toe” just one week before she is scheduled to compete on “Dancing With the Stars.”
De Laurentiis shared a video on Instagram showing off her visibly bruised middle toe on her right foot. The injury left the toe looking noticeably purple, with bruising extending around it.
“As you can see, it’s quite purple, and it wraps all the way around,” she said while giving viewers a close-up of her foot and pointing toward the injury with a red arrow.
She Thinks She Will Lose Her Toenail
The Food Network star also warned fans that she may lose part of her toenail because of the injury.
“I’m for sure going to lose a toenail I think,” she said.
While the injury clearly has De Laurentiis concerned, she did not appear ready to let it stop her from competing. She acknowledged that her foot was hurting but seemed determined to keep moving forward.
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” she said with a sigh. “Part of the game.”
Fans immediately filled the comments with suggestions and encouragement, with some sharing their own experiences with dance-related foot injuries.
“Coming from an x-ray tech’s daughter-even if by chance the toe is fractured, you can tape the hurt toe together with one of the toes on either side of the sore one and soak as much as you can with epsom salt because the magnesium in it can help,” one fan wrote. “Hope you feel better soon- we are rooting for you.”
Another commenter joked about the demands of ballroom dancing, writing, “Get used to it lol! I’ve been taking ballroom dance lessons for over four years and I barely have any toe nails left 😂 “
A third fan encouraged De Laurentiis not to give up, writing, “Stay with it I broke three toes on one foot and walked every day Different when dancing I know it’s tough!!! Wanna see you win this thing!!”
“Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba also offered some encouragement.
“You are officially a dancer now! :)” she commented.
De Laurentiis Previously Turned Down the Show
De Laurentiis is partnered with professional dancer Alan Bersten for Season 35 of “Dancing With the Stars,” which premieres next Tuesday.
The chef previously revealed that ABC approached her about joining the competition 10 times before she finally agreed to participate.
Her daughter, Jade, 18, played a major role in helping convince her to take the leap.
“This time, I thought, with my daughter pushing me and with my daughter out of my house [at college] this is a really good time for me to go on a new adventure and push myself to do something I’ve never done,” she shared.
De Laurentiis admitted she nearly backed out before officially committing.
“I tried to get out of it,” she also admitted. “Right before I dropped her off, I was like, ‘I can’t. This is just too much.’ And she’s like, ‘Mom! Pull up your boots and let’s go. Get it together.’”
Despite the toe injury, De Laurentiis has already shared her first dancing video with Bersten after her injured toe.
Now, she will have to see how her injured foot holds up when the competition officially begins.
