Laurie Hernandez is only 16 years old, but she's handling the pressures of Dancing With the Stars like a pro. Laurie, who received two perfect scores during week 10 of the competition, had an emotional night with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy after losing her grandmother passed away this week.
"The last three months have been a ridiculous roller coaster for this girl. I forget that she's 16. All of this is pretty hard for me and I have half the load of the pressure and I'm also twice her age. It's pretty incredible…I'm so proud of her…Tonight I feel like was a different level," Val said.
The two did a foxtrot to "Hollow" by Tori Kelly and were joined by Val's brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy for their trio samba.
"I just went out there and just gave it my all, I kind of look at dance as a way to express my emotions and my feelings," Laurie told E! News after the show. "Instead of having to say anything I was able to dance my way through it. It was kind of like a way for me to let it go. I feel like a totally different person. I feel like I've grown up a couple of years. It's been amazing. I've met some amazing people including big bro over here. This journey has been incredible. I'm never going to forget it."
Laurie and Val are competing against Calvin Johnson Jr. and Lindsay Arnold, Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko, and James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess. Terra Jole and Sasha Farber were eliminated.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays, 8 p.m. on ABC.