‘Dancing With the Stars’ Fans Concerned About Cheryl Burke After Her Head Injury

Just a few hours ahead of Monday’s Dancing With the Stars episode, PEOPLE shared an exclusive clip that revealed Cheryl Burke suffered a head injury during rehearsal with her partner, A.J. McLean. Despite the scary incident, the two are scheduled to perform during the live episode and are set to dance the tango to “Psycho” by Intermezzo Orchestra.

The clip showed Burke losing her balance and falling backward onto the dance floor. Following the hard fall, McLean crawled over to make sure she felt alright before a medic quickly showed up to assist. McLean said in the clip that everything happened “so fast.” This tumble comes less than a week after Burke appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where she talked about the injury misfortunes many of her previous partners had in the past, including just last season when Ray Lewis had to leave the competition due to an injury. This round is also the second week in a row one of the professional dancers got banged up: Peta Murgatroyd dealt with injured ribs before her and Vernon Davis went home following the last round.

As news of Burke’s injury first trickled out, fans of the show were quick to send their best wishes her way and offer their support in hoping she can continue on in the competition. Here are some of the most notable messages to be sent her way on Twitter.

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On her Instagram page, Burke also shared in her own words what happened during rehearsals. She thanked McLean for being the “best partner I could ask for that was there to pick me up off the ground.” 

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Likewise, McLean also posted a photo of him with Burke and explained to his fans what happened. He thanked everyone who has been sending love her way and said he is “so proud” of his partner for battling through the adversity. 

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Going into Monday’s new episode, the two are coming off their best dance of the season, tying three other teams with a 27 for the highest score of the week. Their samba to “Mi Gente” earned them three 9s. 

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Burke and McLean have been among the rising teams in terms of scoring since the start. They have raised their score every week besides Weeks 4 and 5 when they got back-to-back 24s. 

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Throughout the season, Burke has been extremely supportive of McLean and his continued growth. Following their 27 last week, Burke wrote on Instagram that so she “witnessed so much improvement” in her partner.

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The pair have struck up such a strong bond that they’ve even set up their own podcast, Pretty Messed Up. The two share insight into their dances through the competition and also touch on their personal lives. The podcast premiered in early September at the start of the ABC reality show. 

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Dancing With the Stars airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The newest episode will center on a Halloween theme as the couples take part in Villain’s Night.