Willow Shields On Fire, Survives DWTS Week 3 Despite Injuries
A popped rib cannot stop Willow Shields from dancing, and together with professional dancing partner Mark Ballas, she managed to successfully pull off a Paso Doble.
Their dancing number with the theme Fire and Ice wowed both the audience and judges of Dancing with the Stars garnering them a total of 32 points out of 40, the third highest score in the episode.
Shields revealed that her Hunger Games co-stars were also ecstatic about her performance. Especially supportive was the movie’s lead actress Jennifer Lawrence who was reportedly excited for her fellow star.
What does Jennifer Lawrence think about @WillowShields on #DWTS? http://t.co/0FQwj1DOfv pic.twitter.com/LREzEAFNho
— Just Jared Jr. (@justjaredjr) March 31, 2015
“I think everybody is like, ‘Where did this come from? Oh my god, you’re dancing! Like Jen, of course she was like, ‘Oh god, I would be so scared to do that.’ They’re all very excited,” Shields related.
The actress also shared that she felt great after performing their dance. She said that she had a little stage fright at first but she got into the moment and just went for it.
It was a hard-earned success for the young actress as she sustained multiple injuries even before the show. During rehearsals, Shields had to consult a chiropractor to address her painful back and an excruciating rib injury.
In detail, she described her difficult physical situation.
“I was feeling pretty good about our progress about half way through the week and then during a practice of a dip, I fell onto Mark’s knee knocking the wind out me. I kind of hit in an awkward way with my back slightly twisted… It took me awhile to catch my breath and also realized that my ribs really hurt too.”
For the first time, Shields talked about wanting to win the competition. The teen star had been quiet about it since the start of the season but her injuries made her so determined that she decided to be vocal about it.
“I’ve never really talked about the idea of wanting to win this competition, I’ve been having so much fun, but while trying to catch my breath I worried that this could keep me from winning. Maybe it took getting injured to make me realize how much I really wanted that darn mirrorball!” she said.
According to her dancing partner Ballas, Shields had to immerse her body in an ice pool to help with her injuries. Now that’s determination!
[Image via YouTube]
