Delta Goodrem has vowed to fight through the pain of a rib injury as she battles to win Strictly Come Dancing, after returning to the ballroom this weekend.
The 41-year-old Australian singer was back on the dance floor with professional partner Kai Widdrington on Saturday night, performing a rumba to Celine Dion's It's All Coming Back To Me Now. She had been forced to pull out of last week's show with a serious rib injury.
Returning to the Ballroom
In her first in-depth interview since the injury, Delta said: "This week has obviously been a step-by-step process, but I think we've been a really good team." She explained that she has been following medical advice closely, adding: "I've been doing exactly what I have to do, which is listening to the doctors; they've got an incredible team here, and we check in every day with the physio."
Despite the setback, she insists she never considered quitting. "It's obviously a new injury that I've never encountered before," she said. "I've been performing my whole life so I understand that I'm going to have to just do those extra things... and I am a fighter I've got a fighting spirit."
The Injury and Recovery
Delta explained that the rib injury appeared to have been caused by repeated lifts during training. She had topped the leaderboard on October 10 with her disco-themed salsa, scoring 33 points, but within 48 hours she was in pain. "There was a combination of a couple things coming into it," she said, "but I think I had gone through trying so many lifts... it was a combination sort of leading into that last night."
She added: "We had such an incredible time when we got to do the Salsa... we were stoked ending the night on top of a leaderboard. But you know, I kind of started to really go down the hill, and unfortunately, the body said, 'Sorry' then."
Looking Ahead
Delta and Kai have had limited training time this week, with the routine edited to be more "rib friendly," as Kai admitted. He said: "We're obviously mindful of it. We are not going to go out there and do some crazy lifts and some crazy back bends that are going to put strain on her injury."
Before the injury, the pair had topped the leaderboard twice in a row and remain among the favourites to lift the Glitterball trophy. However, later in the competition dancers will be required to perform two routines on Saturday nights, and Delta can only hope she is fully recovered by then.
Asked if she can still win, she said: "Listen I am just as passionate and fired up to be here. I am going to take a day by day, but my heart is here in Strictly... we're a great team, and I'm excited to be a team, and we'll go as far as we can take this."
