The Hammer cracked under pressure today, officially announcing that he had stepped down from the hit reality-contest TV show, “Dancing With the Stars.” Tom DeLay, former House Republican Whip said he’s taking his doctor’s advice and leaving the ABC television show, citing an injured foot and a desire not to drag down his partner, dance pro Cheryl Burke.
DeLay’s astonishingly long stint on “Dancing with the Stars” afforded the public an opportunity to see the frosty politician’s saucier side. Among his cultural contributions, DeLay may have brought back rump-shaking and late 70s Elvis fashion to all of Florida.
But despite the warm cultural exchange, DeLay maintained his icy core. When asked how he managed to stay on the show given his low scores, the dance machine said: “As long as people want to keep us on the show who cares what [the judges] say?” DeLay and Burke finished one point away from last place Monday, earning 15 points out of 30.
DeLay has been diagnosed with stress fractures in both feet from the rigors of dancing and must wear foot braces when away from the ballroom. Doctors and producers urged the 62-year-old to withdraw from the dance-off. But he was determined to continue, until today. “If you can’t practice, you make a fool of yourself out here,” he explained. “And I don’t want to do that to Cheryl.”
LA Times reports that DeLay said his next dance would have been the Texas two-step, and that show host Tom Bergeron invited DeLay to perform the dance on the season finale if his feet were up to it.