Maura Higgins pushes through a painful rib injury to win top scores from DWTS judges after breaking down in tears in rehearsals

Maura Higgins has secured a place in the Dancing With The Stars semi-final despite battling a painful rib injury during rehearsals this week.

The TV personality, 35, broke down in tears during training in a video clip which aired ahead of her Argentine tango to The Thong Song by Sisqó.

The dancing duo kicked off their segment talking about being at the bottom of the leaderboard last week and how they would be rebounding on Grammy Week.

As they practiced, Maura let out a cry as she held her rib and she told Mark: 'Last week I had not the best week, and now that I'm feeling better, there's something going on with my rib. When I'm being lifted, I can hear it pop.'

She tried to carry on but ended up in so much pain a medic was called in as Maura sat in a chair and choked back tears before they suggested an X-ray.

But the setback wasn't enough to keep her down, as the Irish star managed to bag three nines for her routine with partner Mark Ballas, earning them a score of 27.

Maura looked incredible as she performed in a black sheer body with lace detailing across the top and skirt, while her hair was worn in a sleek up do. 

Judge Bruno Tonioli said the routine looked 'expensive and high class' as he branded her style 'sensual and elegant' before awarding her nine points.

Meanwhile,  Carrie Ann Inaba described Maura as 'graceful and a warrior' to dance with her injury, adding: 'For me, that was a work of art.'

Finally, Derek Hough said their routine was 'sultry, seductive and slinky' before complimenting her leg lines and lunges, saying: 'I tried that last move and it's hard, that was so impressive.'

While talking to host Julianne Hough in the skybox, Maura said she was feeling 'so much better'.

Her second routine was a Cha Cha to All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow where the dancing pair faced Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.

Maura and Mark came out on top and received an additional two points, taking their final score to 29 and landing them in fourth place on the leaderboard. 

The previous week, Maura had been bottom of the leaderboard and narrowly avoided elimination.

Afterwards, she revealed she was feeling 'really unwell' to complete a 'tough' week of training.

She made it to the quarter-finals despite admitting she found the Jive to be 'hell'.

In a candid Instagram post, Maura shared the extent of the illness she faced while learning the dance, with one snap showing that she resorted to a vitamin drip as she was running on 'very little energy'.

 The star found herself in the bottom two with dance partner Mark Ballas in Monday's live show, but it was actress Julia Stiles who was eliminated.

Maura's post showed her trying to rest before her performance, as well as being transformed into Tinkerbell for her dance.

She wrote: 'This week was definitely one of the toughest I've had so far. I was really unwell, running on very little energy and trying to learn two dances, but I gave it absolutely everything I had.

'I came into this experience knowing I wasn't a dancer, a performer or an athlete, but I wanted to challenge myself, step outside my comfort zone and give something completely new my absolute best & that's exactly what I'm trying to do every single week.

'I'm learning, I'm making mistakes, I'm pushing myself and I'm growing along the way!! Some weeks will be better than others, and that's okay. I'm only human.

'I'm not sharing this for sympathy or to make excuses, but simply to share a little of the reality behind the scenes!

'Sometimes all you can do is show up, give everything you have and be proud of yourself for trying!! A special thank you to my incredible partner @markballas who has been my biggest support throughout this journey.

'His patience, encouragement and belief in me, especially during such a difficult week, mean more than he knows. I genuinely couldn't have asked for a better person to share this experience with... 

'To everyone who continues to support me, encourage me and cheer me on, please know how much it means. You genuinely give me the strength to keep going, especially on the harder days. Your kindness never goes unnoticed. 

'I'm so grateful to still be here, to be learning and to have this opportunity. I'm proud that I kept going, even when things felt impossible, and I promise I'll keep giving it everything I've got!!

'I really do love everything about this show (apart from the Jive hehe) @dancingwiththestars. Here's to coming back stronger.'

Maura performed her jive dressed as Tinker Bell to You Can Fly! from Disney's Peter Pan with her dance partner Mark.

Their performance was critiqued by the judges who said while the dance felt 'magical' and complimented her ability to 'sell' it, she lacked some technical ability.

Bruno said she needed more elasticity through her legs, while Derek claimed they needed 'more snap and sharper flicks'.

Carrie Ann said she felt Maura's energy dipped in places, while guest judge Cynthia Erivo shared concerns that she looked 'worried' in parts.