Jeannie Mai drops out of 'DWTS' after 'life-threatening' throat infection

Jeannie Mai is hanging up her dancing shoes.

The TV host and stylist has dropped out of this season of "Dancing With the Stars" to focus on a pressing health issue, according to a statement she shared with TODAY.

"It saddens me that I will not be able to continue with the competition on DWTS. My doctors discovered a health concern with my throat which requires immediate attention and surgery. I am heartbroken that my DWTS journey has to end here," the statement said.

The "Real" co-host has been participating in season 29 of the show with her partner, Brandon Armstrong, since it premiered in September and told TODAY that the past few weeks have been "an amazing learning experience."

"I have pushed myself to new limits physically and mentally, and I am so proud of how far we’ve come. I can't thank my partner Brandon enough for being so supportive and believing in me. I also want to thank MAI fans who voted every week and I wish everyone else in the competition the best of luck!" she shared.

News of Mai's departure from the show broke Monday morning when the dancing competition shared the following statement on its Twitter channel: "Jeannie Mai will not be able to continue to compete on #DWTS this season due to a health concern that requires immediate attention."

In a post on Monday night, Mai wrote her surgery to treat her throat had been successful and offered more details about her condition.

"I will be forever grateful to Dr. Nasseri who identified my potentially life-threatening condition," she explained. "What simply started as a sore throat had unbeknownst to me become a dangerous infection that already closed at least 60% of my airway and resulted in a throat abscess that spread in a matter of 3 days."

The 41-year-old has left quite an impression on her fellow contestants and the show's judges and will clearly be missed.

"Jeannie has inspired us, along with millions of fans, with her energy and dedication. We wish her a full and speedy recovery," the show's statement continued.

The dancing competition sent out a second tweet confirming that Monday night's episode will go on as scheduled and will feature the eight remaining couples.

Mai's partner shared his concern on his Instagram page Monday morning.

"JEANNIE! I’m so sorry this happened to you! You don’t deserve it! Your journey on this show was so special so unique and so inspiring! I loved EVERY SINGLE WEEK that we got to go through this together!" he wrote. "thank you for giving me such an amazing season! We will all be praying for a speedy recovery! ❤️"

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information Mai made available on her Instagram Monday night.