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Hayley Erbert
Photo by David Livingston/WireImage

What happened to Derek Hough’s wife?

The 'Dancing with the Stars' favorite has had a hard few months.

Dance injuries are nothing new, but some are far more serious than others.

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Fans have been following the recovery journey of Hayley Erbert, wife of Dancing with the Stars favorite Derek Hough, who’s undergone some serious operations in the last few months. The 38-year-old choreographer has been keeping fans up to date on his wife’s recovery, and they’re hanging on every word.

What happened to Hayley Erbert?

Fans first learned of Erbert’s medical condition in early December, after Hough posted to Instagram with a frightening update. He informed fans that, following their Dec. 7 tour performance, Erbert had become disoriented and was rushed to the hospital. There, doctors learned that she was suffering from a “cranial hematoma,” or a collection of blood inside the skill, from a burst blood vessel. She required an emergency craniotomy, but — at the time of Hough’s update — was in stable condition.

A week later, Hough provided another update. This time, he shared it alongside a video of he and his wife taking a walk together. Hough noted, in the caption of the post, that his wife’s “recovery process has been nothing short of a miracle,” and added that she was up for another surgery soon. He also thanked fans, friends, and everyone else for the outpouring of support the couple received.

Another week later, Erbert’s cranioplasty surgery was successfully completed. Hough updated his followers again, this time with thanks to the incredible medical team that saw his wife safely through the surgery. He also shared high hopes that his wife was on an upward climb, and that her recovery was properly underway.

Hayley Erbert’s current condition

Right around two months after she was first rushed to the hospital, Erbert gave her own emotional update on her situation. She and Hough uploaded a video to each of their Instagram pages, showing off Erbert’s trimmed new look and celebrating how far she’s come. Erbert noted that it’s been “quite the journey,” and dug into the ongoing struggle of recovery. She has good days and bad days, according to the video, but even with the hurdles she remains impressed with her progress.

Hough praised his wife’s “perseverance” through the ordeal, and lauded her as “a miracle.” Both halves of the pair shared their heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of love and support they received during her recovery, and Erbert noted that she felt empowered by the many well wishes sent her way. Her journey toward full recovery is far from over, but she’s happy, healing, and feeling the love.


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Author
Image of Nahila Bonfiglio
Nahila Bonfiglio
Nahila carefully obsesses over all things geekdom and gaming, bringing her embarrassingly expansive expertise to the team at We Got This Covered. She is a Staff Writer and occasional Editor with a focus on comics, video games, and most importantly 'Lord of the Rings,' putting her Bachelors from the University of Texas at Austin to good use. Her work has been featured alongside the greats at NPR, the Daily Dot, and Nautilus Magazine.