It was a heartbreaking episode of Dancing With the Stars on Monday, November 14, with rising star contestant Laurie Hernandez breaking down in tears on the dance floor following her grandmother's death.

In a pre-taped clip, the Olympic gold medalist shared how close she was with her beloved grandmother, Brunhilda. Tragically, just one day prior to her performance, Brunhilda, with whom Laurie had been incredibly close, passed away.

"I am extremely close to my grandma," the 16-year-old gushed in the clip, which showed her visiting Brunhilda in an assisted living facility. "Growing up, she would always do my hair, she was always the one who would make me chocolate milk or rice when I came home."

Laurie set her emotions free on the dance floor, delivering, along with her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, a powerful, poignant foxtrot set to Tori Kelly's "Hollow," during which the Olympic star and fan favorite silently cried.

Afterwards, Laurie burst into tears, even as the emotionally-charged judges delivered unanimous praise, Bruno Tonioli telling the contestant that she looked as though she had been "guided by an angel" on the dance floor.

However, Laurie's heartache wasn't the only sad moment on the pre-finals episode: Terra Jole and her partner Sasha Farber, who received two perfect scores, were sent home.

Meanwhile, NFL star Calvin Johnson and his partner, Lindsay Arnold, who actually received the lowest scores of the night, will move forward.

The Dancing With the Stars Season 23 finals kick off Monday, November 21 on ABC.

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