Suzanne Paul proved herself to be the comeback queen last night, winning the Dancing With the Stars title, despite suffering a cracked rib.
If viewers thought Paul looked shell-shocked when host Jason Gunn named her the winner, it was because she was under the influence of painkillers, shetold a local radio station this morning.
Dancing With the Stars spokesperson Corey Cooper confirmed Paul had suffered the injury during week two of the television competition, and had aggravated it during the freestyle section of last night's show.
Proving herself the consummate professional, the infomercial queen battled through the pain to win the competition.
But Paul is not the only one to have suffered during this season of Dancing With the Stars.
Just two weeks before the competition started, Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws broke his toe during a training session with his dance partner Lauren De Boeck.
Though doctors advised Laws to stop training and rest for three weeks, the Radio Live host insisted he keep dancing.
Frank Bunce's dance partner Krystal Stuart also suffered a broken toe, during a last minute rehearsal in the studio hallway.
Stuart cracked her toe on a doorway just moments before performing in week four, the same night the couple were eliminated.
Former Shortland Street actress Greer Robson found herself run down by the show's training regime and had to spend time in the sick bay, Mr Cooper said.
Meanwhile, Megan Alatini's dance partner Jonny Williams came down with a bad case of the flu and Robson's partner Aaron Gilmore suffered a stress-related rash.
Despite these various ailments, all the stars and dancers insisted on competing, Mr Cooper said.
Everyone involved in the competition had full access to professional medical services, including doctors and physiotherapists, at all times.
Mr Cooper said stars were able to sit rounds out if they were injured or ill without being eliminated, yet none had chosen to do so.
Photo gallery: the final