Dancing With The Stars judge Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert, celebrated their first Christmas as a married couple, just days after her second skull surgery.
Earlier in December, Derek and Hayley were performing all over the country on the Derek Hough: Symphony of Dance tour. It kicked off on September 28 and was initially set to run until December 23. Due to high demand, he added four more shows to extend the tour to wrap up on December 30.
On December 7 – after 45 shows – Derek announced on Instagram that his wife had an “emergency craniectomy.”
His post read,
“At the end of last night’s tour performance in Washington D.C., my wife Hayley became disoriented and was taken to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy. She is in stable condition.”
Derek thanked the first responders and medical staff who took care of her and asked for prayers.
According to a fan who attended the show, a stage hand whispered something to Derek in the middle of the show, which was the time he likely found out she wasn’t feeling well. He continued to finish the show, even performing one of the dances he does with Hayley, without her. The fan said Hayley did not come out for final bows, so everyone in the audience knew something was wrong.
Immediately, his website announced that the rest of the tour would be postponed, and that tickets will be honored at a future, unknown date.
On December 15, Derek shared a video of him walking with Hayley while she was wearing a skull helmet, seeing as a piece of her skull was removed in the surgery.
He updated fans on how she was doing, while thanking everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and revealing what is next for them.
“Hayley is doing well,” he wrote. “Her recovery process has been nothing short of a miracle. She still has a ways to go with another surgery, hopefully in a few weeks, to insert a skull implant to replace the piece that was removed during the craniectomy. It will restore the skull to its natural shape and protect the brain from injury.”
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On December 21, Derek announced that Hayley’s second surgery, a cranioplasty, was successful.
He shared a photo of himself sitting at Hayley’s bedside in the hospital and wrote, “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.”
See his full post below.
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On Christmas Day, Hayley shared her first post since she had surgery.
The photo included her and Derek cuddling close and sharing a sweet kiss in front of a Christmas tree. Her hair was in a green polka-dotted wrap, but you could see the hair that was shown was shaved. She wrote, “Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Cherishing the greatest gift of all. The precious gift of life and the love we share. Hold your loved ones close and treasure every moment.”
Her sister-in-law, Julianne Hough, commented, “You are our Christmas miracle.”
This is not only their first Christmas after her surgery, it is also their first Christmas as a married couple.
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We will keep Hayley in our prayers for a continued recovery! See the post below.