Tom DeLay Will be on 'Dancing With the Stars' Despite Injury

Tom DeLay, the former Republican House Majority Leader and a contestant on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" has injured his foot, but says he plans to be on the premiere on Monday.

"You may have already heard but I hurt my feet dancing Saturday," DeLay wrote on his Facebook page late Tuesday. "I went to the doctor yesterday. I was scared it was a stress fracture. I had a MRI this morning. No stress fracture! It is a pre-stress fracture."

Nicknamed the Hammer for his tough, competitive personality, DeLay wrote: "If I take relative rest and wear the right shoes, I can dance. I live for another day."

DeLay also wrote on Twitter Tuesday: "Old age is catching up to me, may have a stress fracture in my foot. No worries, it'll take more than that to keep me off the dance floor!"

At 62, DeLay is the oldest competitor by 11 years. He has put in extra time to get in shape for the show. He started working out in June and lost 18 pounds in the process. In August, he started rehearsing in Houston and then Los Angles with the professional Cheryl Burke, who has twice won on the show with her "star" partner.

The hugely popular reality show, which pairs famous people with professional dancers, has had problems in the past with amateur dancers getting injured and forced to drop out of the competition. This season, the show instituted new rules that are intended to reduce injuries. The competitors are only allowed to rehearse five hours a day, six days a week.

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