Suni Lee Shares Troubling Health Update After ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Illness

Suni Lee has “a lot of things [people] don’t know about” gong on behind the scenes as she recovers from getting sick live on Dancing With the Stars‘ Queen night. After the Olympian, 18, got sick and rushed off stage following her performance of the paso doble with partner Sasha Farber Monday, she took to Instagram Thursday to answer fan questions. 

Asked how she was holding up mentally after the tough week in the ballroom, Lee answered, “Could def be better. But it’s just a lot on my plate all at one time & a lot of things ppl don’t know about.” The gymnast is also enrolled at Auburn University while competing on the ABC dance competition and is “ahead in school” usually after show days. “So gymnastics 10-1 [and] DWTS 3:30-6:30,” she explained of her schedule. 

After running off stage holding her stomach, Lee did return for the relay dances, and Farber explained to Us Weekly it was a week of illness for his partner. “Right before the dance started … we were standing in the tunnel, and she just kinda, like, 10 seconds in, vomited in her mouth and tears started to come out and she started walking away, saying, like, ‘No, I can’t do it.’ I was like, ‘Suni, you’ve got this. Come on. This is game time,’” Farber recalled. “And she turned around and she was, like, holding it in, and she held it in for a minute 35 and then the second the dance was over, she ran to a trashcan.”

Taking it easy between dances, Farber said Lee eventually wanted to give their Relay dance a go. “I’m like, ‘Let’s just chill. We got this. You don’t have to rehearse. I’m going to go extra slow. I’ve got you. I want all your worries, like, let me worry. You just hold on and hold your breath. Don’t throw up on me, and we got this,’” the pro dancer shared. 

“Hopefully she’s feeling better. We have a new week, two dances. It’s a new challenge,” the Russian native added. “It’s going to be a hard week, but hopefully she’s feeling better and I’m just so proud to be dancing with such a warrior.”