Julie Goodwin has shared her ‘devastation’ after being forced to postpone her debut on Dancing With The Stars due to a ‘brutal’ injury.
The MasterChef season one winner, 53, was set to take to the dance floor on Sunday with dance partner Andrey Gorbunov, but was forced to withdraw from round one at last minute.
Just moments before her first performance, Julie sustained a ‘sudden’ grade two calf muscle tear which ‘took her breath away’ and left her in agony.
Speaking about the shock injury, Julie admitted she is ‘devastated’ as her future on the competition looks uncertain due to the recommended six-week recovery time.
‘It was devastating, I’m absolutely gutted,’ she told The Daily Telegraph. ‘Honest to god I’ve had a few injuries in my time, but this was the worst, it’s extremely painful.
‘When it first happened, I couldn’t straighten or put my foot flat on the floor and needed to be carried.’
The recovery time to completely heal from a grade two strain is between three and six weeks but Julie has just six days before she is due to return to the dance floor.
However, the ‘stubborn’ TV star said she is determined to continue on the show, before detailing how she sustained the injury while trying to land from a dance lift.
Julie Goodwin has shared her ‘devastation’ after being forced to postpone her debut on Dancing With The Stars due to a ‘brutal’ injury. Pictured with dance partner Andrey Gorbunov
‘I have to do a run on the spot and launch myself towards Andre, who picks me up,’ she shared. ‘Lucky he’s nice and strong, I launched off that and landed like a pack of spuds.’
Calf muscle tears occur when the calf is suddenly overstretched and can be caused by quick pivots, jumps or abrupt stops during sports.
The injury came after an intense two-month-long training schedule which saw Julie going to the gym five times a week and swimming three to four times a week.
The moment Julie sustained the agonising strain was shown during Dancing With The Stars’ premiere, with the chef appearing in the studio to discuss the accident.
Just moments before her first performance, Julie sustained a ‘sudden’ grade two calf muscle tear which ‘took her breath away’ and left her in agony (the moment of the injury is pictured)
The footage showed Julie screeching in pain as her leg gave out while dancing, before she was shown getting the crushing news in hospital.
‘We need you to stay off that calf so we can give you every opportunity to be dancing as quickly as possible,’ the health expert advised.
Despite the setback, Julie remained optimistic, telling hosts Sonia Kruger and Dr Chris Brown: ‘It’s gonna be alright… we’re gonna be alright. Bedazzle a moon-boot and away we go.’
Julie admitted she is ‘devastated’ as her future on the competition looks uncertain due to the recommended six-week recovery time (she is pictured in hospital getting the news)
SAS Australia’s Ant Middleton, AFL legend Shane Crawford and Olympian and former senator Nova Peris will also be strutting their stuff on the dance floor.
Rounding out this year’s competitors are comedian Nikki Osborne, Home and Away’s James Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens presenter Adam Dovile and chef Hayden Quinn.