Olympic figure skating legend Dorothy Hamill has been forced to withdraw from "Dancing With The Stars," saying on Tuesday night's results show that she had suffered nerve damage in her spine that could be "irreparable."
Hamill stepped down from the celebrity dance competition on the advice of her doctor after a cyst was discovered on her spine.
"I realized this isn't just a muscle thing," Hamill told reporters after the show. "It's radiating down my leg and my foot and I have no stability in my ankle and I can't pull my toes back."
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Hamill was one of 12 celebrities competing on the show's 16th season, along with country singer Wynonna Judd, comedian Andy Dick, and Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman.
"It's been a wonderful ride. I wish I could stay but I can't do justice to the commitment," Hamill said.
Tuesday marked the first results show of the new season and the celebrity and professional partner with the lowest combined score were to be sent home.
Lisa Vanderpump, star of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and champion boxer Victor Ortiz were the bottom two dancers after the first two weeks of competition. But because Hamill dropped out, no one was eliminated.
"I'm so sorry. It was a hard night for all of us. My heart really goes out to her because she really, really wants it and she really fought against it all week," Vanderpump said Wednesday on "Good Morning America." "I became very close to her. I just love that woman."
Hamill received an outpouring of support on Twitter.
"DWTS" is on ABC Monday's at 8 p.m. EST and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
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