The new season of Dancing with the Stars doesn’t start for another few days, but rumors are circulating that one celebrity hoofer may already be out — and a former Girl Next Door may be taking her place.

Us magazine reports that Holly Madison, the Playboy Playmate, ex-girlfriend of Hugh Hefner and star of E!’s The Girls Next Door, is set to join the ABC dance competition, which begins a new season on Monday (March 9). The network isn’t commenting.

Madison would most likely take the place of singer-songwriter Jewel, who wrote on her blog last week that she’s been slowed by tendonitis in her knees — a result of rehearsing for the show with partner Dmitry Chaplin. Jewel’s husband, rodeo cowboy Ty Murray, is also a contestant this season.

Along with fellow Hef girlfriends Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson, the 30-year-old Madison starred in The Girls Next Door from 2005 until last month. The three women have all moved out of the Playboy Mansion and gone their separate ways; Hef has reloaded with a new set of girlfriends and will keep filming the show.

A number of Dancing with the Stars participants — both celebs and their pro partners — have been injured during the show’s run. Most have been minor (sprained ankles are pretty common), although Olympian Misty May-Treanor had to withdraw last year after tearing her Achilles tendon last fall.

Source: Zap2It