Melissa Gilbert may have to pull out of this year's Dancing With The Stars competition after being hospitalized during Monday's show (April 9, 2012). The news came just minutes after Gilbert had given what judge Bruno Tonioli described as her "best performance by far".
According to People magazine, the actress was taken to hospital after finishing her paso doble routine with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Receiving the news while still on-air, host Tom Bergeron told the audience, "She injured herself.and as a precaution she's gone to the hospital to get checked out". There has been no immediate word on the extent of her injuries or whether she will be able to continue in this year's competition. The actress has suffered a string of knocks and scrapes while performing on the dance-floor and before Monday's show she had written on her blog, "this week of Dancing has been a killer". Her injury could be related to her damaged spinal column, which was fused in two places around two-and-a-half years ago. Despite her injury, the Little House on the Prairie star wowed the ballroom during rock-and-roll night with a dance to the White Stripes' 'Conquest' - receiving a respectable 22 points. Head judge Len Goodman commented, "I liked it.You came out with confidence and attacked the dance".