Val And Laurie On ‘DWTS’: Why Her Grandmother’s Death Was Kept Secret From Her


Val Chmerkovskiy and Laurie Hernandez have been near the top of the leaderboard on Dancing with the Stars for quite some time, and it sounds like many viewers believe that Laurie could end up winning this season. But this week, Val and Laurie faced a possible setback as Hernandez’s grandmother suddenly passed away. Laurie knew that her grandmother had been suffering from Alzheimer’s, but she didn’t realize that she had passed away. And when Val learned of the news from producers, he questioned whether he should really tell her. He chose to wait 48 hours until he broke the news to her, and viewers were confused as to why he did this.

According to a new People report, Val Chmerkovskiy and Laurie Hernandez are now opening up about the painful week, where Laurie lost her beloved grandmother. Not only did she have to deal with the grief of losing her family member, but she also had to perform two dances so the pressure was on. This could have been a time where many people would have left the competition and Chmerkovskiy didn’t want this to happen.

“It was kind of a tough week,” Laurie has revealed about her grandmother’s sudden death last week.

Surprisingly, Val knew about Laurie losing her grandmother last week. He learned that she had passed away on Wednesday but kept the death a secret from Laurie until Friday. While some people felt that Val may have made a mistake keeping such a big news from Laurie, he’s now revealing why he decided to keep it a secret from the Olympic star.

“I just want to protect and guide her through it, but I’m not going to shelter her from a situation that is hers,” Val explains about his decision, according to People magazine. “It’s hers to face and hers to grow from and hers to understand as well. She needs to take time and understand it.”


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When Laurie learned of the news, she was devastated. And when she took the stage last night, it was clear that she was heartbroken. Laurie admits that she broke down while hearing the video package and started crying on stage. But Chmerkovskiy covered her ears so she didn’t have to hear the package, where she learns about her grandmother’s death. And she admits that if it wasn’t for Val, she wouldn’t be dancing this week. But he is convinced that her grandmother would have been proud of her and would have wanted her to continue.

“But the reality is that her grandma was so proud of her and as a person at that age, I think the most peace you get is by seeing what you leave behind and the legacy you leave behind and to see your granddaughter represent her country and her family and herself with so much dignity and pride and strength is an absolutely incredible feeling for her grandma,” Val continues about Laurie’s achievements outside of Dancing with the Stars, adding that Hernandez’s grandmother is “in a better place and watching down and just as proud.”

Even though Laurie was clearly dancing with a heavy heart, she managed to get through the final dances for the semi-finals. Maybe she used her heartbreak as fuel to get through the dances, because she managed to get a perfect score of 30 points for both dances, resulting in Val and Laurie getting a perfect 60 for the night. Of course, she still has some competition from other couples who are right behind them with perfect or nearly perfect scores, but it sounds like she has a good chance of taking it all.

What do you think of Val’s decision to shield Laurie from the news of the grandmother’s death?

[Featured Image by John Sciulli/Getty Images]

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