‘Dancing With the Stars’ Winner Hannah Brown Hasn’t Worked out for 5 Months Due to Injuries From the Show

Bachelorette alum Hannah Brown hasn’t been able to work out in nearly half a year due to injuries she suffered during her time on Dancing With the Stars. Brown competed on Season 28 of the ABC dancing competition, taking home the Mirrorball Trophy alongside pro dance partner Alan Bersten, though in a series of videos shared to her Instagram Story over the weekend, the DWTS winner revealed that more than a year later, she is still struggling with lingering injuries.

In the candid posts, recorded while taking a walk on Sunday, Brown candidly spoke about the lasting trauma to her body from the intense competition, according to Us Weekly. Admitting to fans she believes “this political climate and with COVID has been hard for all of us and me too,” Brown said that “usually when I’m struggling, dealing with my mental health, I can go to working out.” She went on to reveal that “for the past five months,” she hasn’t “been able to work out like I used to.” Brown said not being able to work out “really brought me down because I didn’t know another way,” explaining she is “either zero [or] 100. All in, [or] nothing. And I definitely let it get me down.”

Despite this, the Bachelorette alum said she is “starting to finally get that motivation back.” She told fans she chose to open up about this “because I think a lot of us can relate to going a long time without working out and sometimes it feels impossible to start again.” Brown, who described her workout mentality as “beast mode,” said “for the first time in my life, I feel like I can understand somebody who is out of shape. I am right there with you.” She went on to reveal that she’s gone to physical therapy due to injuries that were put under “additional stress” from the competition.

“I am still going to the doctor and trying to figure it out but I think a lot of my body hurting comes from some issues that started on Dancing With the Stars and I just kept going from zero to 100 — I’m either all or nothing — and pushed it too much to where I now have, like, some issues that I am having to deal with physical therapy,” she said. “To clarify, I have always had issues and pains but I think DWTS put additional stress on those prior injuries. So I’ve been doing that mostly and then going on some walks and bike rides, but honestly, that’s it.”

Admitting that the last few months have been “tough,” the Alabama native said she is “starting to realize that more people can relate to this girl, the one who is struggling,” adding that she is “just trying to be more honest about where I’m at.” Brown told fans she’s “going to learn to show up where I can be right now, whether that’s 50 percent, 60 percent, 35 percent my best; you’ve got to start somewhere” and that her overall health is my #1 priority right now. So I’m going to continue to do all that I can right now — be more about trying new workout methods (I’ve always been a HIT workout, high cardio balls-to-the-wall athlete), learn to adjust and listen to my body, and continue to see medical advice to hopefully get some clarity soon!”