Derek Hough Says Wife Hayley’s Recovery ‘Nothing Short of a Miracle’ (Exclusive)

It was a special night at “Dancing with the Stars,” as Derek and Hayley Erbert Hough performed on the show together for the first time since her medical emergency and skull surgeries. 

In December 2023, Hayley suffered a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniotomy and, later, a cranioplasty.

The couple spoke to “Extra” after “DWTS,” and Derek shared, “Tonight was such a special night. It was the beginning of sharing the full story of her recovery. We revealed a little bit more of what happened, but there is still so much left to tell, and we can’t wait to share the rest of the story of her journey, which has been nothing short of a miracle.”

Hayley opened up about the experience and about feeling thankful to be back in the ballroom again. 

She told us, “Tonight was an extremely emotional night because I haven’t seen a lot of that footage in a very long time. For me, it has just been about the recovery process and making progress every single day, and so I haven’t gone back and looked at any footage for a very long time. So, seeing that was like, ‘Whoa.’ I just got flooded with a lot of emotions again, but it's so beautiful to be back here dancing. I’m so grateful to be able to be dancing here again.”

They also shared how incredible it has been to see Hayley’s story inspire others.

Hayley explained, “That has been the most beautiful part about all this. Even just sharing the small bits of my story that we have, I’ve had so people reach out to me saying, ‘The same exact thing happened to me,’ or, ‘I love how you’ve sported your shaved head, and it's inspiring me to keep my wig off,’ and ‘I want to sport it, too.' So, it's been really incredible to watch just how this has inspired people in so many different ways. I think that has been the goal in sharing this, is for me to be real and open with everyone, but also to help anyone in any way, shape, or form in their life — no matter what they're going through.”

Derek added, “And in return, they have inspired us hearing their stories. It's also a reminder, too, that whatever you're going through as well, it feels like it's the end of the world and it is so much, and when you hear everybody else’s story, you realize everybody has a story. Everybody has things they're going through. It sort of connects us in a way, through those difficult times, in a beautiful way.”

He said of Hayley, “This woman has just been a huge inspiration to me. I would be a mess, and I’d walk out the room and I walk in and she would be smiling with half of her skull missing. I'm just like... I was just in awe of her, in awe of her every day. I just couldn't believe that we're here. It's really special."

Hough said he’s been inspired by “her will to live and her determination and her stubbornness.”

He went on, “She knew she was gonna be out here, even when the doctors didn’t know, even when I didn’t know. She always knew in the back of her mind that she was gonna be here. And I think I could see that spark, I could see that ray of light, and it just helps us every single day. It helped me every day just feel like okay, there's a future, there's a hope.”

Derek said it brought them “closer together,” adding, "She also nurtured me in so many ways.”

Hayley agreed, reflecting, “We are so much stronger because of it. It was really beautiful to watch him step into a nurturing role, especially three months after our wedding… We kind of joked, ‘We really put those vows to the test,’ but it has made us so much stronger and I just love him even more and I’m just grateful for everything he did for me.”

Plus, Derek shared what to expect on their upcoming Dance for the Holidays tour!

Hough teased, “It is the season of miracles, the season of thanks and gratitude, and we have so much of that to give to this audience,” adding, “The music is epic and the costumes and the choreography — it is some of the most intricate fantastic choreography I think I’ve ever had in a show. Most importantly, we’re doing it together… and we can’t wait to share with everybody.”