Breaking News: Cristian de la Fuente Schedules Arm Surgery

"The Insider" breaks news that "Dancing with the Stars"' finalist CRISTIAN DE LA FUENTE, who tore a muscle in his bicep during a dance two weeks ago, has scheduled surgery for next Friday, after the finale.

The former "CSI: Miami" and telenovela actor told us, "The arm cannot improve unless I have surgery and I have surgery scheduled for next Friday."

He said that his arm is hindering him in some ways in preparing for the upcoming finale: "The problem right now is that we don't use [the arm in our routine], but sometimes if we fall after a lift or something, and I put my weight on my arm, it really hurts.

"Yesterday that happened," he continued. "And you know, it's something that we really have to avoid because besides losing a half an hour of rehearsal [waiting] for the pain to go away, it hurts, you know, and we don't want that."

His partner CHERYL BURKE agreed, chiming in, "Last night he almost fell on the arm."

Published 5/15/08 by