Don't be fooled by her delicate physique: Julianne Hough's no wussy.The "Dancing with the Stars" pro headed into a planned appendectomy Tuesday morning, mere hours after nailing the samba with partner Cody Linley on the hit ABC show.
That's right: She knew about the surgery beforehand ... and danced anyway.
"Everything's OK," Hough said on DWTS Monday night. "I'm going to hopefully be back, if everything goes as planned, next week."
Joked host Tom Bergerson: "Only Julianne could say, 'I'm having my appendix out, and I'll be back in a week.' "
Hough was rushed to the hospital last week after complaining of stomach cramps, where she was diagnosed with endometriosis, the development of uterine-lining tissue on the surfaces of organs in the pelvis or abdomen where they are not supposed to grow.
Despite the pain, which her rep says has been "coming and going since last week," the 20-year-old only missed one rehearsal for the show.
So is this tough-as-nails 'tude specific to Hough? Not according to Mignon Furman, director of New York's American Academy of Ballet, who says such commitment is par for the course.
"The show must go," she said. "Dancers are very serious about that."
In fact, Furman added, she's even seen dancers "throw up on the side of the stage and go back on" during performances.
"They're tough cookies," agrees Angela Prince, national public relations director for USA Dance. "If something hurts, that doesn't mean that they stop. It's mind over body sometimes."
Meanwhile, Hough has been "in great spirits," her rep says, and plans to keep fans updated on her health after the surgery.
What, no post-op rhumba?
