Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy is reflecting on his recovery one year after he was hospitalized for a severe neck injury.
“This time last year I went through some stuff,” Chmerkovskiy, 37, captioned a slideshow shared via Instagram on Wednesday, February 21.
Chmerkovskiy shared a glimpse of his neck X-rays before and after undergoing a procedure, which seemingly resulted in four screws being placed underneath the vertebrae of his neck to correct a bend.
In videos taken throughout his recovery, Chmerkovskiy was seen lying down in the hospital and at home wearing a neck brace. “OK, time to walk around,” his wife, Jenna Johnson, said in a clip from the hospital. Chmerkovskiy replied that he couldn’t get up until his IV was taken out.
Once he returned home, Chmerkovskiy enjoyed quality time with the couple’s son, Rome, now 13 months, and their two pups. The post also featured a clip of Chmerkovskiy teaching a dance class after he was hospitalized.
Chmerkovskiy and Johnson, 29, are currently performing across the U.S. and Canada on the DWTS live tour. The couple, who wed in 2019, were not a part of last year’s cast tour. (Johnson gave birth to their son in January 2023.)
Despite his injury, Chmerkovskiy returned to DWTS for season 32, which aired from September to December 2023. He won the competition with his partner, Marvel actress Xochitl Gomez.
“So much work. So much joy. So much love. Thank you @dancingwiththestars for trusting me with such precious cargo,” he captioned photos and videos of their victory via Instagram in December 2023.
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He went on to call Gomez, 17, a “little star of a human,” adding, “I hope this continues to reinforce your self-esteem and further empowers you to pursue your dreams and consistently strive to better yourself and the world around you. I loved working with you, teaching you, performing with you, and becoming your friend. We’ll always share this, and I couldn’t be more proud to do so.”
Later that month, Chmerkovskiy hinted at his future with DWTS while answering fan questions with Johnson. “This is so funny. We have had so many people ask us, well ask Val, if he’s retiring this season,” Johnson said during the Instagram Story Q&A. “Do people know something that we don’t know? Val?”
Chmerkovskiy replied, “I don’t know, [but] now, I’m not retiring. What is that? I would love to be back if the show brings me back. I’ll be there.”
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