Hayley Erbert Hough returned triumphantly to the Dancing With The Stars ballroom on Tuesday (October 15), nearly a year after her emergency brain surgery.
In December 2023, Hayley and her DWTS judge husband, Derek Hough, were on tour in Washington, D.C. At one point in the show, Hayley was supposed to come back on stage, but the stage manager informed Derek she would not join him because she had a seizure.
She was taken to the closest hospital, and they were running tests on her while she was still in costume, and she was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma. This meant she needed an emergency craniectomy right away.
Hough posted the news on social media the next day, likely because they would have to cancel several tour dates. Many people were concerned about Hayley since she did not come out on stage for the final bows.
Eventually, she also needed a skull implant, seeing as part of her skull was removed to perform the surgery. They acknowledged that she was on the long road to recovery from the minute she woke up from surgery and that her being able just to walk would be a miracle, let alone dance again.
But Hayley defied all the odds and got back to what she loves – dancing with her husband.
Hayley and Derek performed an emotional dance on Tuesday’s (Oct 15) episode of Dancing with the Stars to the equally emotional song “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. As they told their story through dance, Benson sings,
“But there’s no man as terrifiedAs the man who stands to lose you
Oh, I hope I don’t lose you
Please stay
I want you, I need you, oh God,
Don’t take these beautiful things that I’ve got.”
Before their performance, Derek and Hayley sat down for interviews to talk about what happened, and it brought everyone in the audience and everyone at home to tears. Derek spoke about how she was “essentially dying” on the side stage as he was performing, how much of a miracle it is that she is nearly back to her usual self, and all the gratitude they have for each other and their support system.
Deadline reports that Derek and Hayley are creating a documentary about their experience. The couple has teamed up with Voyeur Verite to produce the film, which will be directed by Jason Bergh. Bergh and Stephan Bielecki will produce, while Hough will be credited as an Executive Producer, along with Jeff Goldenberg and Courtney Carter.
“There are so many aspects to this recovery that we’re excited to share,” she said in an interview after the performance.
Stay tuned on where and how to watch this documentary! Watch the couple talk about the documentary below.