DWTS' Julia Stiles Breaks Down in Tears Over "Popped" Rib Injury
Juilliard Apologizes to Julia Stiles Over Dancing With the Stars Shade
Julia Stiles is waltzing through the pain.
The Save the Last Dance actress admitted that she was feeling the pressure of Dancing With the Stars, especially as she danced through a rib injury while she and partner Ezra Sosa prepared a salsa to Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” for Yacht Rock Night.
“My rib really hurts and we kind of popped it,” Stiles explained during a pre-taped segment on the Sept. 29 episode. “This is a really tough week to hurt your rib.”
“It's just not my day,” she added through tears, telling her partner they would likely have to forgo the lifts and tricks. “No lifts for today. I think we take it day by day.”
Still, the 45-year-old wasn’t going to let the injury stop her from giving the dance her all.
“I also know that I'm a tough cookie, and I'm not going to let it stop me,” Stiles said. “I’m trying to keep myself above water.”
While she was disappointed in how her and Sosa’s tango was received on the Sept. 22 episode—noting it was “not my best dance”—she and the dance pro were planning to keep pushing through the pain and the disappointment to create a great dance.
And the duo certainly did just that with judges Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba praising her performance, scoring her dance with six points, seven points, and six points, respectively.
ABC/ José Alvarado, Jr.
“The hardest part about Dancing With the Stars is giving yourself permission to let go,” Inaba said of Stiles’ salsa. “I saw you fully gave yourself permission to let go tonight.”
She added, “Now it's just about continuing to grow the skills.”
Stiles could certainly feel a difference in her performance, admitting to host Julianne Hough that she was “on the struggle bus last week.”
“But I got off it and he pulled me off it,” she raved of Sosa, “and I'm just having fun. I finally found the fun in it again.”
For a look at all the stars competing on this season of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa
You won't hate this news—the 10 Things I Hate About You star will be saving the last dance for her pro partner.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten
Cha-cha-chopping away... The celebrity chef will be turning up the heat this season.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
What did you miss on Glee? The actor taking his musical talents to the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart
The former '90s teen heartthrob will hope to MMMBop his way to the top of the leaderboard on season 35.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress will be bringing her fresh moves to the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy
Twenty years after starring in Step Up, the dancer is stepping up to the challenge.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov
The 2026 Olympic figure skater will take her skills from the ice to the ballroom.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach
The Team USA Paralympic track and field athlete will show off his athleticism on DWTS.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills
After sister Brooks Nader competed on season 33, the Love Thy Nader star is trying her hand.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold
The comedian, also known as Fibula on social media, is ready to earn more applause on DWTS.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star is following in the footsteps of wife Whitney Leavitt—who competed on season 34.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess
The Bachelor Nation star is trading in roses for rumbas.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater
The Savannah Bananas baseball player is stepping up to the plate, bringing his dance moves from the diamond to the ballroom.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! star is ready to learn some new moves.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong
The Summer House star is prepping for her turn in the ballrom.
"Looks are not indicative of being in shape," Ciara exclusively told E! News in June. "I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina."
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas
The Love Island UK alum is hoping her love for DWTS doesn't betray her as she manifested this experience.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," she told E! News in May. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.