Robert Irwin addresses his rib injury after winning Dancing With The Stars ‘No pain, no gain’

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Robert Irwin shared details about the rib injury he sustained before his successful performance on Dancing With The Stars in the US.

Robert and his dance partner Witney Carson were visibly thrilled when they appeared on Good Morning America after winning, and they quickly addressed questions about Robert’s recent rib injury.

Michael Strahan noticed I was pushing through some pain after injuring a rib, and he kindly checked in on how it was feeling. It’s a good reminder that even when we’re determined to keep going, it’s important to acknowledge and address our physical limits!

Robert admitted that although he’s on the mend, the injury is still causing him pain. 

‘We’re getting there,’ Robert replied.

‘It’s painful. But no pain, no gain. It’s all good!’

Robert was quick to praise Witney for adapting their routines to accommodate his injury. 

‘We wanted to push through. Witney was amazing in changing up some of the moves that we had to do in there,’ he said.

We had to adapt as we went, but our final, improvised dance was our way of showing gratitude to everyone who had supported us along the way.

We were determined to succeed because it felt like the best way to show how thankful we were for the opportunity.

Robert added that he was used to such maladies, given his history of catching crocodiles.

When George Stephanopoulos, his co-host, asked if he was having difficulty breathing, Robert dismissed the concern with a typical Australian reply.

‘Yeah, but it’s all good. It’ll be right,’ Robert replied.

We were having such a great time that I didn’t even notice anything was wrong until it was over. The excitement and enjoyment completely took over.

Robert and Witney won against a strong group of competitors, including social media personality Alix Earle, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, actress Elaine Hendrix, and Dylan Efron, brother of Zac Efron.

In the final round of the dance marathon, the couples performed three different types of dances: a quick challenge, a routine chosen by the judges, and a freestyle dance of their own creation.

They started with a near-perfect score of 29 out of 30, and then earned perfect scores on their last two dances.

The competition was incredibly close! Robert and Witney ended the night in a tie for second place with Jordan Chiles, both with a score of 89. Alix Earle led with 90 points.

The couple everyone was rooting for won, earning the most votes from both the judges and the public.

Just before their winning performance, Witney shared on TikTok that Robert had been injured – he hurt his rib – while preparing for the final show.

Before their last practice on set, Witney shared that Robert had been pushing through the dance routines despite being in pain.

‘Robert’s ribs have been killing him,’ she said. 

Despite his injury, Witney said that Robert had been pushing through regardless.

‘Knowing Robert, he’s going to want to rehearse until the very last second,’ she said.

‘Last night, we stayed at the studio until it closed down.

‘They had to kick us out at nine pm. We’re going to have absolutely no regrets by the end of this.’

Winning the Mirrorball Trophy is becoming a family affair for the Irwins. Robert’s sister, Bindi, took home the prize back in 2015.

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2025-11-27 02:18