Melissa Gilbert 'All Right' After 'Dancing With The Stars' Head Injury

Contestant suffered a 'mild concussion and whiplash' after falling during Monday night's performance.
By Gil Kaufman

Melissa Gilbert and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy on "Dancing With the Stars"
Photo: ABC

"Dancing With the Stars" has a long history of sending its competitors to the hospital with a variety of hoofing-related injuries. But on Monday night's episode, former "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert appeared to suffer one of the worst two-stepping mishaps in show history.

While the judges were high on her bad-girl take on the paso doble, the real news was that Gilbert, 47, slipped at one point and though the audience didn't notice, she suffered a head injury that required hospitalization. Host Tom Bergeron announced the news on the show, but didn't give much detail.

"If you're wondering why Melissa and [dancing partner] Maks [Chmerkovskiy] are not here, she injured herself and as a precaution has gone to the hospital to get it checked out," Bergeron said on the show, promising a full update on Tuesday night's results show. Gilbert hit her Twitter account shortly after to explain her absence, writing, "I'm alright. Mild concussion and whiplash. Very soon I will be safely home resting and being taken care of."

I'm alright. Mild concussion and whiplash. Very soon I will be safely home resting and being taken care of.

— Melissa Gilbert (@MelissaEGilbert) April 10, 2012

Some of Gilbert's competitors spoke to Us Weekly about the scary moment after the show.

"She hit her head during her dance, and then after she felt a little dizzy, so they took her to the hospital just to get checked out and make sure she was okay," explained Sherri Shepherd. "I think she'll be all right, though." Gavin DeGraw said he carried Gilbert down to the green room because the TV actress was "too weak to walk," adding, "my arms were tired by the time I started the dance after carrying her!"

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