Derek Hough has recalled the moment he learned of his wife’s “severe” brain bleed.
The Dancing with the Stars judge’s wife, professional dancer Hayley Erbert, has returned to the show almost a year after suffering a health emergency in December 2023.
To mark her return, Hayley and Derek danced to Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things.
In a clip introducing her return to the DWTS ballroom, Derek recalled how his wife was rushed to the hospital after becoming disoriented during a performance.
“We rush her to the hospital, she’s still in her costume, and the doctor came to me and he said that, ‘She has a severe brain bleed, so we have to operate right now,'” he explained. “He said that she might not make it and that even if she does make it, she won’t be the same person.”
After being admitted to hospital, Hayley was diagnosed with a brain haematoma and underwent an emergency craniectomy followed by a cranioplasty.
In a new interview with People, Derek said he didn’t think he would ever dance with his wife again.
“I was like in those moments we never even, it was not even a thought like, ‘Oh, we’re going to dance again,’ honestly,” the dancer said. “And then to be here, it’s unbelievable. It’s just hard to put it into words.”
“Tonight was just sort of the beginning of telling the full story,” he continued. “We shared a little bit more video and photos of what had happened to show us something to the extent of the severity of it. But this is the beginning and there’s so much more to tell this story and we’re so excited to share the rest of it.”
Derek also explained that the DWTS dancers have “badges” so they can spot signs that Hayley might need medical attention.
