DWTS’ KARINA SMIRNOFF BLOWS OUT HER KNEE — AND GETS SURGERY!

It looks like Dancing With the Stars’ Karina Smirnoff won’t be getting an early start on rehearsals this season! She injured a knee and was still recovering from surgery on Jan. 30, forcing her to skip her appearance with fiancé Maksim Chmerkovskiy at Shrine Asian Kitchen, Lounge & Nightclub at Foxwoods in Connecticut. “The doctor ordered Karina to stay put, but I know that she really wanted to come and was ready to party!” an insider told Life & Style.

“Her injury was the result of wear and tear — not a specific incident,” another insider adds. "Being a dancer, you have to really take care of yourself. If you're going from this to that then to something else and you never get a break, it takes its toll.” But don’t worry! Karina will be back and ready to do her best fox-trot when the new season of DWTS returns on March 9. "Karina’s doing fine and will be good to go for the new season," her rep, Michelle Berger, tells Life & Style.