Amy Purdy, one of the most beloved contestants on Season 18 of “Dancing With the Stars,” was rushed to the hospital in the middle of Monday’s live show after she began to experience back spasms. The paralympian snowboarder explained the injury didn’t happen during her routine with partner Derek Hough, but after the two had been judged and received their scores.

"Right after judging, I turned my head and my back cracked and it just seized up," Purdy, 34, told Erin Andrews in a backstage interview, according to Us Weekly. "Everything's really painful right now. It's hard to breathe."

The athlete was in so much pain she wasn’t able to perform in the group dance. Instead, judges watched the group’s dance rehearsal from earlier in the day. Purdy lamented that she wanted to perform with her group members.

"We have our team dance and I feel so bad because I love our dance," she said. "We all had so much fun putting it together and we were killing it together."

While Purdy was laid up in her hospital bed, she took to Twitter and Instagram to thank her fans for her support and interact with them through a Q&A session.

"Thanks for your support everyone!" she wrote. "The [doctor] thinks it's muscular, still waiting on the official word… As we walked away from the judging table my upper back cracked and went into spasms… in pain but I'm in good hands."

Hough reportedly accompanied his partner to the hospital. It's not clear whether Purdy would be able to continue in the competition. "Fingers crossed," she added. "We'll know soon enough."

She and Hough formed a strong bond during her stint on the show and the two have shared numerous “DWTS” snaps to Instagram.

The next episode of “DWTS,” on Monday, May 5, will feature already-controversial guest judge Abby Lee Miller from the Lifetime hit “Dance Moms.” Tune in to ABC at 8/7c to find out if Purdy was able to return to the ballroom.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

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