Nearly one year after Hayley Erbert suffered a near-fatal brain bleed, the dancer and her husband, Derek Hough, returned to Dancing With The Stars (October 15) to deliver an emotional performance.
In December 2023, Derek Hough and his new bride, Hayley Erbert, were in Washington, D.C. for their Symphony of Dance Tour when Erbert fell ill. Erbert was rushed to the emergency room where doctors found that she had a cranial hematoma, better explained as blood pooling in her skull, due to a ruptured blood vessel. Erbert underwent an emergency craniectomy.
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It was a long road to recovery for Erbert who returned to the dance studio for the first time three months after her surgery. Derek marked the moment with a post shared to Instagram that read, “Stepping onto this blank canvas together. Beginning to paint again.”
For the first time since Erbert’s health scare, the couple performed during Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing With The Stars.
Ahead of their performance, Hough shared details about his wife’s life-threatening incident in an emotional, pre-recorded video.
“It just all came to a screeching halt in the most devastating way. I was on stage and she was supposed to come out. The stage manager came out and said, ‘She’s not coming on stage.’ She was on the side of the stage having full seizures and essentially dying,” Hough recalled through tears.
“It’s really hard to put into words other than just pure fear,” the dancer continued. “We rushed to the hospital, she’s still in her costume, and the doctor said to me, ‘She has a severe brain bleed so we have to operate right now.’ He said that she might not make it. And that even if she does make it, she won’t be the same person.”
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The crowd was already emotional as Derek and Hayley made their way to the DWTS dance floor.
With the exception of the crowd’s response, Hayley’s triumphant return to the dance floor showed no indication of the trials she’s faced during the last year.
Derek and Hayley performed a beautifully choreographed routine set to Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things.” Both appeared to be emotional as the dance ended.
Viewers were also overcome by the powerful performance, with many taking to social media to show their support for Derek and Hayley.
“I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much for a performance like I have with this one. Hayley is amazing, her and Derek are amazing, everything about this performance was stunning,” one fan wrote.
Another wrote, “Derek and Hayley’s story was gut-wrenching, and their performance was so beautiful, touching, inspiring and powerful. Life can be incredibly challenging, and to watch Hayley dance so beautifully after everything she went through was amazing! I cried like a baby.”
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Watch Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert’s incredible comeback performance in the video below.