When Derek Hough first became a pro on Dancing With the Stars in 2007, it seemed like everyone was bound to fall in love with him. After all, who wouldn't love watching a good-looking guy create unforgettable dance routines and win a record six times throughout the show's 33-season history? While he has since become a judge on DWTS, he also found a permanent dance partner in his wife, Hayley Erbert.
While Derek's world has been dance for quite some time, he never expected it would lead him to the love of his life. As it turns out, the couple first met back in 2014, when Derek and his sister Julianne hired Hayley to be a dancer on the siblings' Move Live Tour through 2015. Although they didn't start dating then, Hayley told The Hutchinson News in March 2016 that the opportunity led her to work on Dancing With the Stars as a troupe member.
"They got my contact information from Derek and Julianne, called me and set up an interview," she explained at the time. "I interviewed right after I got off tour and found out a couple of weeks later that I was on Season 21."
Shortly after Hayley joined DWTS, the couple started to privately date behind the scenes. Although the two were keeping their relationship under wraps, Derek did confirm he was seeing someone on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November 2016.
By May 2017, Derek and Hayley decided to take a big step in their relationship. They shared they were dating in an Instagram announcement, where Hayley shared a throwback photo of the two's time together when they were first touring back in 2014.
"Can't believe this was 3 years ago ❤ #TBT," she captioned the announcement at the time.
But the couple's bubble of bliss was shattered in 2018, when Hayley and several members of the Dancing With the Stars team were involved in a bus crash. Thankfully, Hayley was unharmed, and it led Derek to voice how thankful he was for her on Instagram.
Just a few years later, the couple would explore more elements of their relationship while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. They created a YouTube channel, where they often showcased their daily lives away from the cameras. But as they continued living life, folks began wondering when Derek and Hayley would make things official. Well, by June 2022, Derek and Hayley thrilled everyone by announcing their engagement.
"It's only the beginning…the beginning of forever ♥️," he captioned the photo of the proposal on Instagram.
One year later in August 2023, Derek and Hayley exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony in Monterey, California. But what should've been an era of honeymoon bliss quickly became a nightmare when Hayley underwent emergency brain surgery in December of that year.
In a statement made on Instagram, Derek shared Hayley had suffered a blood vessel burst while performing in Washington, D.C. on their Symphony of Dance tour. This caused a cranial hematoma (or a collection of blood that forms in or around the brain following a head injury) that required an emergency operation.
“At the end of last night’s tour performance in Washington, D.C., my wife Hayley became disoriented and was taken to the hospital,” he wrote. “She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy. She is in stable condition.”
Thankfully, Hayley made it through an incredibly scary time, and it only strengthened the couple's relationship moving forward. When Derek later won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for outstanding choreography for variety or reality programming for his work on Dancing with the Stars in January 2024, he made sure to dedicate the achievement to his wife.
"Exactly a month ago, I was in the hospital," he said while tearing up in his acceptance speech. "A month ago was a life-changing moment that reminded me to really cherish and savor every moment ... I want to dedicate this to my beautiful wife. Your strength and your courage this whole month has been unbelievable. You inspire me every single day."
If that wasn't enough, when their one-year wedding anniversary rolled around in August 2024, Derek couldn't stop praising how much stronger their relationship has gotten throughout all they experienced as a couple.
"1-year ago today I married my beautiful wife @hayley.erbert," he sentimentally wrote alongside a romantic Instagram video from their wedding. "This past year has been a journey filled with so many challenges, blessings, difficulties and triumphs. Through it all, your grace and beauty have shone brightly, reminding me every day of how blessed I am to walk this path with you. But above all, this year has been a testament to the power of love—our love. Love truly conquers all. Here’s to many more years of facing life together, with love leading the way. I love you more than words can express. Happy Anniversary ❤️."
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
