Robert Irwin says his DWTS victory feels incredible emotionally, but his body is still catching up after pushing through a rib injury during the competition.
Fresh off winning the Mirrorball Trophy in season 34, the 21-year-old appeared on Good Morning America on to share how he’s doing.
"We're getting there," he said of his recovery. "It's painful, but, you know, no pain no gain."
Irwin’s dance partner, Witney Carson, had already revealed in a TikTok posted Nov. 24 that he’d been struggling with a rib issue. Robert explained on GMA that the injury forced last-minute adjustments.
"We wanted to push through. Witney was amazing at changing up some of the moves that we had to do in there. We had to change on the fly, but our last dance — that freestyle — was a way to say thank you to everybody who'd been on that journey."
He admitted breathing was tough at points, but he and Carson kept going "because it was the way to just say we're so grateful for this experience," adding with a laugh, "And honestly, I'll heal up! Mate, I catch crocs. I'm used to it. It's all good!”
Carson echoed the physical toll in her TikTok, noting, “After 11 weeks of crazy, vigorous, hard dancing, my body is feeling it. Robert's body is feeling it… Robert's ribs have been killing him.”
Right after their win, Carson and Irwin told People magazine they reminded each other to stay grounded before the final votes came in. "We just said, 'It doesn't matter what happens now,'" Irwin shared. "We're so grateful that we're here and we know what we've put in and we know what this represents."