Hayley Erbert Returns to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for Emotional Dance With Husband Derek Hough After Near-Fatal Brain Bleed

As I watched Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert dance on “Dancing With the Stars,” I was moved to tears by their emotional performance. The resilience and determination that these two have shown, especially after Erbert’s emergency craniectomy, is truly inspiring.


On October 15th, “Dancing With the Stars” aired a special episode titled “Dedication Night.” This night was filled with emotion right from the start, but things really got heartwarming when Derek Hough and his wife Hayley Erbert performed their dance.

The happily wed couple enthusiastically danced a heartfelt number to “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone, signifying Erbert’s comeback to the dance floor for the first time since undergoing an emergency craniectomy.

Prior to the usual course of events, the “DWTS” judge clarified that only three months after getting married in August 2023, while they were on their Symphony of Dance tour together, their lives suddenly and tragically stopped in the most heart-wrenching manner.

The speaker had taken their place on stage, expecting another performer to join them. Suddenly, the stage manager appeared and announced, “She won’t be appearing on stage.” In reality, she was seizing violently offstage and, in essence, dying. It’s difficult to express the intensity of the emotions other than raw fear, as he later shared in a video broadcast on Tuesday night.

Erbert was rushed into the hospital for an emergency cranial hematoma.

In a tearful response, Hough explained, “The doctor informed me that she had a critical brain hemorrhage, requiring immediate surgery.” He added, “He warned me that her chances of survival were slim and if she did survive, she wouldn’t be the same person. Essentially, I was told that the person I knew is gone… All I could do was plead on the hospital floor, begging for her not to leave us.

The following day, he found her almost unidentifiable due to a significant portion of her skull being absent. Yet, she managed to recall their dance together prior to her hospitalization, which filled him with immense relief as it meant his wife was returning to him.

Following their performance on the most recent “DWTS” episode, Hough revealed that this duo had danced onstage before medical professionals in Washington, D.C., after they had made a full recovery.

Later on, the doctors approached us and exclaimed, “Derek, this is nothing short of a marvel!” I replied, “Indeed it is.” The doctor then emphasized, “No Derek, this is a marvel,” as he truly appreciated the extraordinary nature of this woman’s resilience and spirit. She continues to inspire me immensely. She is simply amazing. Hough expressed this on Tuesday night.

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2024-10-16 04:46