These stars are breaking a sweat for a good cause.
The season 30 competitors on Dancing With the Stars have powered through painful rehearsals, chronic injuries and tough performances in hopes of taking home the famed Mirror Ball. Some contestants like Mike "The Miz" Mizanin and Jimmie Allen have shed pounds throughout the process, while other DWTS stars have sought out physical therapy treatment.
"I have a plethora of ailments right now," The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kenya Moore exclusively told E! News, "but I'm dancing through the pain because I really want to be here."
The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip star said she has a "taped off" knee, two ribs contusions and an injured ankle—along with "a little more guns."
Similarly, Cody Rigby teased that his feet are "disgusting right now" due to at least three blisters. "We always have to think about our bodies and what they can do," Rigby explained. "I'm somebody who thinks my body can do a lot, and it can, but you have to listen to it. I'm definitely really putting priority in my recovery."
The Bold Type alum Melora Hardin is definitely listening to what her physique can handle—which is quite a lot!
"I've been really, really pleased with my body in general. I've been like, congratulating my body a lot like, 'Wow, I'm really impressed with you,'" the Office star said. "I have been keeping up with my trainer for two years straight, three days a week. I really have not missed a day for two years, so I do think that's really paid off in terms of being strong. So I'm really grateful for my strength, and I'm really grateful for my flexibility."
She added, "However, we did kind of have a little thing with the lift. I did start to feel like my ribs were really sore. I think I was just wiped out from the two dances previously and then this acute pain in my ribs. I was in tears and I started having a little bit of a panic attack."
Hardin was "creating hell basically in my mind" before consulting with a physical therapist, who advised that her case was "not a serious injury, just a painful one." Hardin quipped, "If it's just about pain, I'm good."
Watch the full exclusive interview above to hear about The Miz's 15-pound weight loss and Allen's budding "two-and-a-half pack" after starting with a "keg" stomach. And check out all of the DWTS transformations over the years, below!
Dancing With the Stars airs Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
Mauricio Umansky
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star revealed to E! News in October 2023 he dropped 14 pounds in one month after joining season 32 of the competition. And, yes, he proudly showed off his fitter bod on the dancefloor.
During her time on Dancing With the Stars, the former Fifth Harmony songstress shed 10 pounds from her petite frame. As she described to Woman's Day, "I'm small so that 10 pounds really shows and I feel so much more confident in myself, I feel so much stronger, so much healthier, and it really has changed my confidence in myself all around."
Get it, girl! The country music sensation and American Idol alum revealed she lost 25 pounds thanks to the grueling rehearsals that come with competing on DWTS.
"I'd been training in Muay Thai three days a week for about six months (for the next project I'm writing) when I hit pause to dance six hours a day. Now I can rhumba," the actor shared on Instagram alongside a before-and-after photo of his DWTS transformation.
During week two of the competition, the Pretty Little Liars star revealed her 15-pound weight loss. "Now, I'm seeing results," the actress said. "I think most importantly, I'm feeling like me again."
In just a matter of weeks, the HGTV star noticed a change in his body. "I haven't been this trim in probably 15-20 years and I feel great," he told People. "Who knew dancing was such an amazing workout!"
Need a weight loss kickstarter? Dancing With the Stars may be able to help. "I feel like I'm getting super toned," the proud mom dished on her Loveline With Amber Rose podcast on Play.it. "I feel like I've lost probably 10 pounds, maybe 8 pounds already. It's serious."
The television personality dropped 42 pounds in 2009 while competing on the show. "Louis van Amstel and Dancing With the Stars changed my life, and as cheesy and cliché as that sounds, America had the hugest part in that," she told Access Hollywood.
The entertainer impressively lost over 30 pounds on season five of the show, kickstarting her diet which led to a gig as a spokesperson for Nutrisystem.
The famous politician's daughter delighted the audience on DWTS and also shimmied her way into a brand new body!
The brunette beauty shed a considerable amount of weight during season two, having just given birth before she joined the competition.
The comedian experienced a total body transformation from dancing. "I can see it in my face. I can feel it in my whole body. I have lost a lot of weight," she told People in 2010.
"I feel like I look so much better than I used to!" the television star and former Girls Next Door star told Life & Style of her slimmed-down body after placing sixth on the show.
The former talk show host lost inches all over her body and dropped around 20 pounds thanks to grueling dance rehearsals with partner Derek Hough during season 13.
"I did Pilates three days a week and cardio twice. I hated it, but it helped. Once I started dancing, things changed faster than when I was just working out," she told said of her significant weight loss coming off the show in 2007.