Culture 5 min read By Trevor Kendall
Giada De Laurentiis Injured in Rehearsals Ahead of 'Dancing With the Stars' Debut
Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis says she was hurt during weekend rehearsals for the ABC ballroom competition, which premieres September 15.
Giada De Laurentiis has suffered an injury while preparing for her debut on the upcoming season of «Dancing With the Stars», the ABC ballroom competition that returns to television on Tuesday, September 15.
The Food Network personality told fans she was hurt during rehearsals over the weekend, just days before the new season is set to begin. In a message shared with her followers, she described a strong day of practice that ended with an unexpected setback, writing that she «had a great day at rehearsals today, but sadly» the injury interrupted her preparation.
De Laurentiis did not immediately detail the nature or severity of the injury, and neither ABC nor the show's producers have commented publicly on her condition or on whether it will affect her participation in the premiere. Her update leaves open the possibility that she will still take part when the season launches, but it also raises questions about how much rehearsal time she may lose in the final days before the first live show.
The timing is significant for a competition that depends on intensive rehearsal. «Dancing With the Stars» pairs celebrities with professional dancers who choreograph and drill routines in the weeks leading up to each episode. Any injury at this stage can limit a contestant's ability to learn choreography, build stamina, and perform safely under the pressure of a live broadcast. For a first-time competitor like De Laurentiis, whose public profile is built on cooking and lifestyle programming rather than performance, the rehearsal period is especially important.
De Laurentiis became a household name through the Food Network, where she hosted long-running series and built a following around Italian cooking, travel, and accessible home entertaining. Her move into the «Dancing With the Stars» cast represents a familiar kind of career crossover for the show, which regularly recruits figures from food, sports, music, and internet culture and asks them to compete in an unfamiliar discipline.
Season 35 arrives with the franchise still occupying a central place in ABC's unscripted lineup and in the broader celebrity-television ecosystem. The series has long been a fixture of the fall schedule, drawing viewers who follow the casting announcements, the weekly scores, and the fan voting that determines who stays and who goes home. Premiere night typically sets the tone for the months that follow, with judges' comments and audience reactions shaping the narrative around each contestant.
For now, the central question is whether De Laurentiis will be cleared to perform when the season opens. Her own update was brief and did not include a prognosis, a treatment plan, or a statement from a medical professional. That leaves the show's production team, her professional partner, and viewers waiting for more information as the premiere approaches.
Injury updates have become a recurring feature of the «Dancing With the Stars» news cycle, as contestants balance demanding rehearsal schedules with the physical risks of learning ballroom and Latin routines in a compressed timeframe. Some competitors have danced through minor ailments, while others have been forced to miss performances or withdraw entirely. The show has procedures for handling such situations, but those decisions are typically made closer to airtime once the extent of an injury is known.
De Laurentiis has not said whether she intends to modify her rehearsal schedule or continue training at full intensity. Her message to fans struck a tone of disappointment rather than withdrawal, suggesting she hopes to remain in the competition. Whether that hope translates into a spot on the premiere episode will depend on how her body responds over the next several days.
The new season premieres September 15 on ABC, with De Laurentiis among the celebrities hoping to make it through the first round and into the weeks of competition that follow.
