Derek Hough announces new project with Hayley Erbert after health scare

Derek Hough And Hayley Erbert have come a long way since their health scare in 2023 – and things are only going up from here.

“We are working on something right now,” the 39-year-old Hough reveals exclusively in the latest issue of We weekly“We look forward to sharing this with others.” Dancing with the stars The juror adds: “It will be really beautiful.”

Hough says his new project with his wife Erbert, 29, comes four months after they returned to the stage for their Symphony of Dance Tour after her emergency brain surgery in December 2023.

“When I think about it, I could cry because it was just a very emotional and powerful tour,” says Hough Us of Erbert's comeback in April and called the experience “an absolutely monumental moment in our lives.”

Hough remembers everything about Erbert's resurrection on stage. “The reaction of the audience, the show and of course Hayley being on stage with me – it was just incredibly powerful and very special,” he recalls.

Hough and Erbert's Symphony of Dance Tour has been full of ups and downs after they began performing in September 2023. The couple had just returned from their Italian honeymoon after getting married in August 2023 when they went on tour together.

Three months later, her world fell apart when Erbert was hospitalized after a performance in Washington, DC. At the time, Erbert was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma caused by a ruptured blood vessel, which left the dancer disorientated.

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Hough announced in December 2023 that Erbert had undergone an emergency craniectomy and was in “stable condition.” Later that month, Erbert underwent a second successful procedure to replace part of her skull that had been removed during the first surgery.

The couple “spent the holiday with an overwhelming sense of gratitude that the surgery was successful and Hayley is on the road to recovery,” an insider told exclusively Us and noted at the time that the situation had given them “a new appreciation for their life together.”

Erbert initially focused on her recovery in the new year, not knowing if she would ever dance again. In March, she returned to the studio with Hough by her side to start afresh, and a month later, she received a standing ovation from the audience at her first show since the health scare.

“The Symphony of Dance Tour has only been over for a few days and I still haven't found the right words to express my feelings,” Erbert wrote on Instagram in May alongside a slideshow of photos of her performances. “This tour has truly been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.”

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She recalled the “uncertainty” about a possible return after her surgeries and celebrated that she had “made it” and made it back on stage for the last few shows.

“This tour has brought back to life many parts of me that have been in the dark for so long,” Erbert concluded. “So I can't thank everyone who has supported us on this wild journey enough. I'm so grateful to still be here, with all of you, doing what I love. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🫶🏼.”

Watch the exclusive video above to learn more about Hough and Erbert’s journey – and pick up the latest edition of We weeklynow at the kiosk.