DWTS' Derek Hough hails wife Hayley Erbert as an 'absolute miracle' following her brain surgery
Derek Hough has hailed his wife Hayley Erbert as an "absolute miracle" following her brain surgery but admitted that the entire journey had been a "rollercoaster" for them both.
Derek Hough has hailed his wife Hayley Erbert as an "absolute miracle" following her brain surgery.
The 38-year-old dancer - who is best known for appearing as a professional on ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars' - tied the knot with Hayley, 29, in 2023 but she required an emergency craniectomy last year to treat a cranial haematoma, and in December she had another operation to replace a portion of her skull which was removed during the first procedure.
Speaking on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show', he said: "She is doing amazing. She is an absolute miracle, miraculous. It's been a rollercoaster. It's been wild but I just have to say again, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and so loving. It really truly mean the world to us, it really does."
Around the same time of his wife's surgery, Derek Creative Arts Emmy Award for outstanding choreography for his work on the ABC show and admitted that the juxtaposition of the two life events was a "crazy" thing to come to terms with as he went from going from the hospital to being on stage in front of thousands.
He said: "It was kind of crazy, too, because it was such a difficult time in December, to then exactly a month be on stage accepting such a prestigious award in choreography, it was crazy. It was a really wild, kind of surreal experience being in a hospital room for a month and then in front of thousands of people accepting something like that. It was a lot of ups and downs, like I said before. It's been wild."
Following the operation - which took place just days before Christmas - Derek thanked the medical staff as he relished in his "immense relief" that his wife's operation had been a success.
He wrote on Instagram: "With immense relief, gratitude and overwhelming joy I’d like to share that Hayley’s cranioplasty surgery has been successfully completed as planned.
"My sincere appreciation goes to the exceptional medical team. Their expertise and steady hands were pivotal in this journey, ensuring a smooth and successful surgery. Especially Dr. Mai who not only performed the surgery but was also the one who saved her life 2 weeks ago."
