Laurie Hernandez Breaks Down In Tears On ‘DWTS’ After Performance In Memory Of Late Grandmother.

laurie hernandez in purple crying. kissed on head by partner

16-year-old gymnast Laurie Hernandez stole our hearts during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio where she took home a gold medal for the team event and silver for balance beam. Since Rio, Laurie has been blowing us away with her incredible dance moves on Dancing With The Stars. Who can forget this jaw-dropping Michael Jackson routine from earlier in the season? The judges met the performance with the first perfect score of the season!

But this week on Dancing With The Stars, there were no back-up dancing or fun props; Laurie wasn’t paying tribute to Michael Jackson or any other big-name star, Laurie was dancing as tribute to her late grandmother, Brunilda Hernandez.

Just before taking the stage to dance the fox trot with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, Laurie watched a video of herself embracing her beloved grandmother who passed away only a few days before the performance. We’ve told you before that Laurie is very close to her family, so it’s no surprise that the emotional video had an effect on Laurie. Memories of her grandmother were undoubtedly in the forefront of her mind as she danced to Tori Kelly’s “Hollow,” a song about feeling fragile and needing love.

At one point, Laurie even stopped in the middle of her dance to wipe a tear. Her courage and steadfastness to finish her performance, pouring her emotion onto the dance floor, are an inspiration.

Watch Laurie’s moving performance below.

Share this breathtaking tribute today.

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