In December, Derek Hough joined WTOP before he and his wife Hayley Erbert performed at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. At the end of the show, his wife became disoriented and was taken to the hospital for an emergency craniotomy, to treat a cranial hematoma that resulted from a burst blood vessel.
“That show definitely became a moment in our lives that we’ll never forget,” Hough told WTOP.
“We are so thankful for MedStar Washington Hospital and the city itself, the beauty of it and the people, the people who came up to us in the streets and the coffee shops just wishing their best for us and wishing Hayley her health. It was a crazy experience. … Dr. Jeffrey Mai (is a) great man. We’ll never forget this guy. He’s on our cellphone. We call him regularly — always checking in.”
This Wednesday, Hough brings “Symphony of Dance” back to the D.C. area at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Virginia.
“Going back to that area is so special to us,” Hough said. “I really wanted our doctor at the hospital who performed both of Hayley’s surgeries to come see a show just to thank him and all of the nurses and the staff, but also just the city, the people — to come to a show so we could actually give our hearts to them as they did for us.”
He insists that “Symphony of Dance” is the most dazzling production that he’s ever taken on the road.
“There’s a lot of care and a lot of thought into this show,” Hough said.
“The pacing, the dynamics, the journey, the choreography. I have amazing choreographers. Collaborating with them — the dancers, their ability, their athleticism, their artistry — is just at a top tier. It’s really, really, really incredible and just the genres of [live] music from big band to old Hollywood to rock ‘n roll to Latin music and ballroom dancing; there’s so much variety.”
Born in Salt Lake City in 1985, Hough grew up with four sisters, including future star Julianne Hough. When his parents got divorced, they sent him and Julianne to London to study dance with competitive ballroom dancers Corky and Shirley Ballas, leading him to eventually win the WDSF World Latin Championship in 2002.
“My sis, Julianne, she’s full out always 100% of the time, even in rehearsals,” Hough said.
“She’s fearless, she really is, she’s an absolute fearless dancer. She’ll try anything, she goes for anything, a lot of energy, a lot of impact. I don’t know what she would say about me, but she is just absolutely fearless and incredible. It’s awesome having her back as a host on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ it’s like having the whole family back together. It’s amazing.”
Indeed, Derek became a household name as a professional dancer on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” from 2007 to 2016, winning a record six times with his celebrity partners Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley and Bindi Irwin. The show also earned him 11 Emmy nominations, including three wins.
“I feel like my freestyle with Kellie Pickler was very special because we never got through that dance ever until that one night, the night it mattered, we would fall out of lifts or our tricks wouldn’t work, whatever, so that was an amazing moment,” Hough said.
“Obviously, dancing with Bindi Irwin was super special because I was such a fan of her father, Steve Irwin. It was a privilege and an honor to guide his daughter through this journey.”
From 2017 to 2020, he became a judge on NBC’s “World of Dance” alongside Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo before returning to ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” as a judge starting in Season 29 in 2020. He also starred in the West End premiere of “Footloose: The Musical,” the TV series “Nashville” and NBC’s “Hairspray: Live!”
He married Hayley last August, just four months before her medical emergency.
“We just got married and went on tour when this all happened, it’s just wild, it’s been an absolute roller coaster,” Hough said.
“You would think that we might have a negative association to that experience and to that place, but the contrary is that we have a very positive association to that area, because it was really a special place for healing and just care, so we’re excited to go back in a different way and to just give our love, man.”
Hear our full conversation on the podcast below:
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