Illness Knocks Tamar Braxton Out Of 'Dancing With The Stars'

Tamar Braxton is down for the count on “Dancing With the Stars” because of a pulmonary embolism, the singer revealed Wednesday.

The 38-year-old R&B artist powered through the serious diagnosis without realizing it at Monday’s dance-off. Despite earning a nearly perfect score, the discovery of several blood clots lodged in Braxton's lungs has forced her to withdraw from the ABC show’s 21st season.

Braxton is the youngest sister of Toni Braxton, who is also a musician.

Braxton bailed on a recent hospital visit to perform a rumba number with fellow contestant Nick Carter, believing her illness was only pneumonia.

“I went back to the hospital (after the doctors didn’t want me to leave in the first place) only to find out that I don’t have pneumonia, but something way more serious,” said Braxton in an Instagram post showing the R&B artist cuddling a plush toy from her hospital bed.

Her dance instructor, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, who appeared visibly upset sitting by Braxton’s side while sharing news of her potentially dangerous medical condition, said she would have been kicked off the show had she not performed.

Carter, of the Backstreet Boys, recalled having to hold Braxton up because she was so fatigued from illness.

"She was unstable," Carter told Us Weekly."I had to really put her first and assume that responsibility and really just kind of make sure that she was taken care of."

Pulmonary embolisms are caused by blood clots blocking the flow of blood to the lung artery, leading to low oxygen levels in the blood stream and organ damage if not treated, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

“As you all know I will be the first to always encourage anyone to push through any obstacle that comes along one's way,” Braxton added. “But in this case, my health is my current obstacle.”

Braxton danced in Monday’s episode to avoid a fate like reality television personality Kim Zolciak-Biermann, who was disqualified from the competition on Sept. 28 after being hospitalized for a mini-stroke.

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