Dancing On Ice: Charlene Tilton Risked Surgery To Skate

Actress Charlene Tilton is relieved to have been voted off Dancing On Ice because she faced surgery if she continued to skate.

The former Dallas star signed up for the ice skating contest in tribute to her fiance, cinematographer Cheddy Hart, who died in 2009, but was left nursing a nasty injury after she ripped a shoulder muscle during a practice session late last year.

Her routine on Sunday night failed to win over viewers and she was booted off the show, but Tilton is grateful to have given up skating as she faced surgery if she put any more strain on herself.

She says: "Had it gone on any more I think I could have injured my shoulder more. It's had no chance to heal. I've been skating through the pain.

"(Skating partner) Matthew (Gonzalez) has been great. At the end of the day he said, 'Staying in another week, is it worth being on the operating table?'"

Charlene recently opened up about how she was plunged into a nightmare following the death of her partner, spending seven months lying on her couch and boozing to numb her pain. She finally battled her depression for the sake of her daughter, Cherish.

She told the Daily Mail: "I was in such shock. I still am. I was an absolute mess. I couldn't get off the couch. I couldn't do anything. Then, about seven months later, something clicked. I thought, 'What am I going to do? Just lay down and join him?' He wouldn't have wanted that. My daughter wouldn't have wanted that either.

"Somehow I had to get out of that depression, so I changed everything. I don't drink any more. I don't smoke. I try to be really healthy and grab any opportunity that comes along with both hands."