WATCH: Doug Flutie Dedicates EMOTIONAL 'DWTS' Performance to Late Parents

04/04/2016 09:11 pm EDT

There wasn't a dry eye in the house after Doug Flutie and his dancing pro partner, Karina Smirnoff, finished their waltz April 4 episode of Dancing With the Stars.

Before the two danced, Flutie opened up about losing his parents who both died of a heart attack in December – within an hour of each other.

"The doctors said the only explanation is what they called 'dying of a broken heart," Flutie says in an emotional pre-recorded interview for DWTS. "Losing both parents on the same day, I still struggle on a daily basis to understand what happened."

The former NFL quarterback dedicated his performance to his parents and struggled to get through the practice.

"There have been days where my emotions have gotten the better of me and rehearsals have been rough," he admits of practicing with Smirnoff. "But honoring my parents has motivated me and makes me want to put in the work. I want to do them proud."

During the show, Flutie danced their emotional waltz, snagging a 20 out of 30 from the judges.

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"This is how your parents live on, when you dance like that, with just the pure emotion that you danced with," an emotional Carrie Ann Inaba said. "I give bonus points when you rip our heart out."

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