It's the heartwarming tale of the TV season. Discover how this dancer defied the odds after a severe cranial hematoma threatened not just her career but her life.
- Hayley Erbert Hough is back
- 'DWTS' saw her glorious return to dancing
- THIS was the moment fans waited for
The Comeback of the Century!
Hayley Erbert Hough's journey back to the 'Dancing with the Stars' ballroom is nothing short of miraculous! After a terrifying emergency surgery in December 2023, Hayley, alongside her husband Derek, a judge on the show, danced their way back into our hearts with a performance that left everyone in awe.
"I was just flooded with emotions," Hayley confessed to 'People' magazine, reflecting on her incredible recovery and the overwhelming support from the 'DWTS' community.
"When they played the package, that's when I started losing it because I actually haven't seen a lot of the footage in quite some time because I've just been focusing on progressing every single day," Hayley says. "And so to go back to that, I was just flooded with emotions, but it was extremely special to be out here."
In a clip introducing Hayley return to the 'DWTS' ballroom, Derek recalled the moment he learned his wife was "essentially dying" in the middle of their Symphony of Dance tour.
"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,' " Hough said in the clip. "He said that she might not make it and that even if she does make it, she won't be the same person."
The dance floor turned into a battleground for Hayley's life when she was rushed to the hospital in the midst of their Symphony of Dance tour. Derek recalls the chilling moment the doctor warned him that Hayley might not survive her severe brain bleed. "She won't be the same person," the doctor had said. But defy the odds, she did! Hayley's strength and determination have shown us all what true courage looks like.
"I was like in those moments we never even, it was not even a thought like, ‘Oh, we're going to dance again,’ honestly," Derek 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 continues. "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."
"It's unbelievable. It's just hard to put it into words," Derek shared, still in disbelief over their return. The couple's performance was just the beginning of their story of resilience, hope, and love. With more to share, they're excited to open up about their journey and the severity of Hayley's condition, promising an inspiring tale of survival and passion.
Since the scare, Hayley and Derek have adopted new rituals to ensure her safety on and off the dance floor. With a heightened sense of caution, they're not taking any chances. "I'm going to listen to myself," Hayley stated, emphasizing the importance of being in tune with her body and its limits.
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Hanging in there...
She's doing okay...
Getting hitched!
The two also talked about the rituals they have started to do before performances since Hayley's medical scare. "When we go on tour, all the dancers in crew, we all have these little badges that say if there's any signs of this, this, this, or that, we need to find medical team or something," Derek tells 'People'.
"Just so we're aware. We're just very cautious. But I'm very, very, very mindful, almost maybe overly mindful of things that we do, moves that we do to make sure that she's protected, she's safe at all times."
