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Carrie Ann Inaba exclusively told USA TODAY that she is “resting” after suffering a medical emergency on a flight that required an on-board response and a trip to the hospital.
The “Dancing with the Stars” judge, 58, flew from Los Angeles to New York on April 15 to participate in a campaign with pharmaceutical company Novartis to raise awareness of Sjögren’s disease, an immune system disease he has. During the flight, Inaba began to feel “very sick.”
“I felt dizzy, nauseous, very hot, and my arm started to go numb,” Inaba said in a statement. “I received some assistance on the flight from the flight crew and the onboard doctor, which I was very grateful for. After landing, I went to the hospital and was given fluids.”
Officials confirmed to USA TODAY that Port Authority Police and EMS responded to a medical emergency on board a Delta Air Lines flight parked at John F. Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 4 on April 15 at approximately 2:37 p.m. The person was taken to the hospital.
Inaba said that although the incident was unrelated to her Sjögren’s disease, the diagnosis “taught me the importance of listening to my body and trusting my body when something doesn’t feel right.”
“I am taking a break and look forward to returning to advocacy work soon,” she continued. “I am so grateful to the people who took care of me and helped me through such a horrible experience.”
Inaba has been a judge on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” since 2005. She is scheduled to perform at the inaugural Dancing with the Stars Con26, a dedicated television competition, this summer.
Inaba also co-hosted CBS’s “The Talk” for three seasons. In 2021, she took an extended hiatus from the show to focus on her health. Four months after that hiatus, Inaba quit the show completely.
