Misty's out of "Dancing With the Stars. " And the minute she appeared on stage last night, 20 million viewers instantly knew as much. Misty May-Treanor, Olympic Gold medalist in beach volleyball, and a pretty good hoofer too, confirmed last night that she had ruptured her Achilles tendon during a Friday rehearsal for the Lindy Hop. Hobbling on stage with aid of crutches and her left lower leg in a cast, she confirmed what appeared to be a foregone conclusion as early as Saturday, when news reports claimed she had hurt herself, perhaps even breaking an ankle. She told viewers last night that she heard a "pop" and at first assumed she could continue dancing because "I thought, 'I'm an athlete. '" But, she added, it felt "like nothing was there ... I knew something bad had happened. "
"I never thought in a million years, especially in ballroom [dancing], that I'd hurt myself. " She said she would undergo surgery today, and that the recuperation would not likely affect her volleyball career because "I was planning on taking time off anyway. " She had previously injured her knee, she said.
May-Treanor becomes the first to leave the hit show while in progress due to an injury. Country singer-songwriter Sara Evans left the show a couple of seasons ago, citing personal reasons. "DWTS" will announce tonight how it'll compensate for May-Treanor's early exit.
