Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 33rd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 02, 2025.Photo:Vince Flores/Variety via Getty
Vince Flores/Variety via Getty
Derek Houghis ready to share his wifeHayley Erbert’s beautiful story of recovery with the world.AtElton John’s annual Oscar viewing party on March 2, the couple spoke to PEOPLE about the documentary they’ve been working on that chronicles Erbert’s life followingher emergency craniectomyin December 2023.“We’re still in the process right now of finishing it up,” Hough, 39, says. “But it’s actually beautiful.“The dancer shares that he and his wife — whohe wedjust four months before she was hospitalized for a cranial hematoma — “stepped away from” filming the documentary “for a few months [while]finishing our tour,” but they picked back up recently.“I just watched some things back from it and I’m like, just seeing her hair and where she’s come. It’s amazing,” he continues. “We can’t wait to share it with everybody. It’s really special.“Erbert, 30, echoes her husband’s sentiments. “It’s been a wild journey, to say the least,” she says.Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 33rd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party.Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS FoundationThe couple’s documentary will seemingly chronicle Erbert’s miraculous recovery in the year since she was hospitalized after a performance in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 6, 2023.Fans previously got a closer look at Erbert’s journey whenshe and Hough returned toDancing with the Starsin October for an emotional performance on “Dedication” night.Before taking the stage, Hough reflected in a pre-recorded video about how life “came to a screeching halt in the most devastating way” the year before.“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 recalled. “He said that she might not make it and that even if she does make it, she won’t be the same person.“Hayley Erbert celebrates triumphant return to the ballroom with a moving routine to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” with Derek Hough.Disney/Eric McCandlessThe package triggered emotions from the couple themselves, not just the audience.“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,” Erbert told PEOPLE afterwards. “And so to go back to that, I was just flooded with emotions, but it was extremely special to be out here.”Hough added, “I was like in those moments we never even, it was not even a thought like, ‘Oh, we’re going to dance again,’ honestly. And then to be here, it’s unbelievable. It’s just hard to put it into words.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.He also teased that the package was “just sort of the beginning of telling the full story” of Erbert’s recovery.“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.”
Derek Houghis ready to share his wifeHayley Erbert’s beautiful story of recovery with the world.
AtElton John’s annual Oscar viewing party on March 2, the couple spoke to PEOPLE about the documentary they’ve been working on that chronicles Erbert’s life followingher emergency craniectomyin December 2023.
“We’re still in the process right now of finishing it up,” Hough, 39, says. “But it’s actually beautiful.”
The dancer shares that he and his wife — whohe wedjust four months before she was hospitalized for a cranial hematoma — “stepped away from” filming the documentary “for a few months [while]finishing our tour,” but they picked back up recently.
“I just watched some things back from it and I’m like, just seeing her hair and where she’s come. It’s amazing,” he continues. “We can’t wait to share it with everybody. It’s really special.”
Erbert, 30, echoes her husband’s sentiments. “It’s been a wild journey, to say the least,” she says.
Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 33rd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party.Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation
The couple’s documentary will seemingly chronicle Erbert’s miraculous recovery in the year since she was hospitalized after a performance in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 6, 2023.
Fans previously got a closer look at Erbert’s journey whenshe and Hough returned toDancing with the Starsin October for an emotional performance on “Dedication” night.
Before taking the stage, Hough reflected in a pre-recorded video about how life “came to a screeching halt in the most devastating way” the year before.
“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 recalled. “He said that she might not make it and that even if she does make it, she won’t be the same person.”
Hayley Erbert celebrates triumphant return to the ballroom with a moving routine to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” with Derek Hough.Disney/Eric McCandless
Disney/Eric McCandless
The package triggered emotions from the couple themselves, not just the audience.
“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,” Erbert told PEOPLE afterwards. “And so to go back to that, I was just flooded with emotions, but it was extremely special to be out here.”
Hough added, “I was like in those moments we never even, it was not even a thought like, ‘Oh, we’re going to dance again,’ honestly. And then to be here, it’s unbelievable. It’s just hard to put it into words.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He also teased that the package was “just sort of the beginning of telling the full story” of Erbert’s recovery.
“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.”
source: people.com
