DWTS Champ Rushes Home Amid Family Emergency

Heavy/Getty A DWTS champ had a family emergency.

A “Dancing With the Stars” champ has been dealing with a family emergency after her grandfather fell ill and needed surgery.

Hannah Brown, who won the season 28 Mirrorball Trophy alongside Alan Bersten,

“The past few days have been challenging. My granddaddy started getting sick and fell twice this week. Then, Thursday night, he had an ulcer burst in his stomach and was rushed to Birmingham for surgery. Surgery was yesterday and he did OK. We are here in AL with the fam as we wait to see how he is doing today. Send up a little prayer for the toughest man I know for a good recovery,” Brown shared on her Instagram Stories on September 9, 2023.

Here’s what you need to know:

Hannah Brown Shared an Update on Her Grandfather’s Condition

On September 10, 2023, Brown returned to her Instagram Stories to share that her grandfather was doing better.

“I just wanted to say, thank you so much for keeping my granddaddy and our family in your prayers. He’s doing a lot better,” Brown said.

“He was able to be up and talk and just was in pretty good spirits yesterday which was great. I saw him before we left to come back to Nashville this afternoon and he seemed so much better than when I saw him Friday, so that’s great, she continued.

She went on to say that her grandfather was given a feeding tube, which he was complaining about. He also has another tube in him to clean out “all the gunk” from when the ulcer burst.

Hannah Brown Reminisced on Her Trip to Alabama to Be With Her Family

Brown had been living in California with her boyfriend (now fiance) Adam Woolard for a couple of years before they decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2023. One of the things that Brown was excited for was being close to her family — it’s not too long of a drive from Nashville to Brown’s hometown in Alabama.

“I’m excited. I always thought I’d live in Nashville, and Adam has lived there before. It’s three hours from home and there is a groundedness about it that I really love,” Brown told People magazine. “I’ve loved my time in LA, but we’re doing something new,” she added.

She echoed these feelings in another interview ahead of her cross-country move.

“I’m stepping into a new chapter of my life — I’m moving back south to Nashville. That’s been a whirlwind experience to even make that decision, but I’m super excited to get back closer to my roots in a town that has so much going for it,” she previously told TV Insider.

Being able to be with her family when her grandfather got sick may have made the whole move worth it.

“Life happens and puts everything into perspective. It was so sweet to see how proud granddaddy was that all his grandkids came to see him. I also got to see one of my best friends and her newborn, which was a special treat,” Brown wrote in a caption on her Instagram Stories.

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