Atlanta actress Elaine Hendrix on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ hospitalized
Atlanta actress Elaine Hendrix, who is currently competing on the ABC reality television competition “Dancing With the Stars,” landed in the hospital Tuesday and missed the show.
But the injury, incurred during a rehearsal, was not deemed serious enough for her to leave the show permanently. Instead, the judges graded her dress rehearsal Argentine tango, and with public votes included, she survived Halloween theme night and made it into the final eight.
“I injured my ribs during ‘Defying Gravity’ (her performance last week), and today, they just seized up,” Elaine shared in a video posted to her Instagram. “I couldn’t move. They brought me to the hospital.”
She did offer good news: “The doctor has said that with a day or two of rest, I should be able to continue, and that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to dance, I want to keep doing this.”
“Dancing With the Stars” won’t air an episode next Tuesday because of Election Day coverage. The next new episode will air Nov. 12, giving her more time to recuperate. It will also be the 500th episode of the show, which is in its 34th season.
Hendrix, 54, has been a strong competitor to date, generating solid feedback and grades from the judges.
A Tennessee native, Hendrix spent part of her teen years in Atlanta and graduated in 1989 from the Northside School of Performing Arts, a magnet program at Northside High School. She spent the next three years pursuing a career in dance, focused on modern and contemporary jazz.
But in 1992, she was cycling in Los Angeles when a car hit her, causing injuries that ended her dance career. “I spent months in physical therapy,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month. She pivoted and pursued acting, which led to roles in films and TV shows like “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion,” “Superstar,” and more recently “Dynasty” on the CW as Alexis Carrington.
She moved back to Atlanta in 2019 to shoot “Dynasty” and hasn’t left.
For decades, Hendrix didn’t dance much at all, but when ABC called her to do the show, she jumped at the chance.
Hendrix said she has been working on improving her technique each week.
“Performing is the least of my worries,” she said three weeks into the show, noting that she takes the critiques seriously: “It’s part of what fuels me. I’ve had injuries. My shoulders are only going to do so much. I am pushing my body as far as I can without hurting myself.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
