Dancing With the Stars judge Derek Hough and his wife Hayley Erbert weren’t graded by the show’s other judges last night for their emotional dance to “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. However, we’ve no doubt the “10” paddles would have been taken out if their routine had been scored.
The couple performed an original dance on – appropriately – “Dedication Night” on the reality competition series. As fans of the couple recall, Erbert underwent life-saving brain surgery in late 2023 after suffering a cranial hematoma due to a burst blood vessel not long after the show’s Season 32 finale when the two were performing in Washington D.C.
In a pre-dance video package on Tuesday’s show, Hough and Erbert revealed how they came close to suffering the ultimate tragedy. The couple talked to TV Insider and a small group of reporters after the show, sharing that there’s more of their story to be told.
“Tonight was the beginning of us telling the full story,” Hough shared. “There’s so much more. We shared a little bit more [tonight] than usual with images and videos. Beyond that, there’s so much more. It’s a lot more difficult than people truly imagine. We’re looking forward to sharing the rest.”
Erbert says that her husband was her savior throughout her medical crisis. “It strengthened us,” she says. “It was truly so beautiful to see him step into that kind of role during that time in our life. It brought us together as a couple, even stronger.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
Last night wasn’t the first time Erbert has danced since her surgery, but she says that returning to the DWTS ballroom is always meaningful. “There’s always the most welcoming energy in this ballroom,” she said with a smile. “Tonight was more special, more impactful. I’m grateful to be dancing again, especially in this ballroom.”
“Being here seems impossible,” says Hough when he reflects on his wife’s health scare. He adds that more of the couple’s tale has been captured on film. There’s no information yet on what platform the documentary will be seen but the important thing is that the footage has been recorded.
“I captured a lot of [Hayley’s] healing process, her journey,” Hough says, adding, “We’ve been working with an amazing team. It wasn’t planned. I said to a filmmaker Jason Bergh, who’s a good friend, that Hayley and I were getting back in the studio [following her surgery]. He said, ‘Hey, can I come and shoot some of that?’ He kept coming back. He [ended up going] on tour with us. He captured so many of the difficulties.”
For now, while there isn’t a home for his and his wife’s unnamed documentary, make no mistake — the film will capture Erbert’s determination. “I’m a very stubborn person,” she says. “When I found out the tour [for Derek’s last show] was going out [again], I was like, I’m going to be a part of that in some shape or form. I will heal.” (Erbert rejoined Hough’s Symphony of Dance tour last April just four short months after her surgery.)
“Was I 100 percent?” she rhetorically asks. “Not really – but I was feeling good enough and I trusted my body to let me know if I would not be okay.”
“Now, I feel amazing,” Erbert says.
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While viewers learned a lot about what the Houghs have been through over the past year, the four-time Emmy winner says, “There’s a lot of stuff we haven’t shared.”
One might not know it after viewing the couple’s dance on last night’s show, but Erbert says she must remain “careful, safe and mindful. I have a great team of doctors still behind me with this rehabilitation.”
Before DWTS Season 33 crowns its Len Goodman Mirrorball winner, the Houghs will be back out on the road with their new show, Derek Hough Dance for the Holidays. (Click here for info.)
“It’s crazy,” Hough says of the tour’s schedule which commences in early November. “But it feels appropriate [to do it then] in the sense that we have so much to be thankful for. The holidays are a difficult time for many, of course, [but] it’s also a time to be thankful. It’s the season of miracles. We’re going to take that message out on the road and share it.”
While it’s a deeply emotion and personal story, the couple doesn’t believe they’re sharing too much of their ordeal — because at the core of their journey is their mutual love.
“I love [Hayley] dearly,” Hough says. “We’ve been through some wild ups and downs.”
“There are a lot of things that have happened throughout our relationship, and they all make us stronger,” Erbert says. “We’re very comfortable sharing our love for each other because it’s so real.”
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