Derek Hough hopes that his wife Hayley Erbert will soon return to the stage.
The Dancing with the stars judge, 38, shared with E! News that “there is a possibility” that Erbert, 29, will rejoin their Symphony of Dance tour once she fully recovers from the emergency craniectomy she underwent in December.
“We actually met dancing on stage on tour. Our first kiss was on stage on tour,” Hough explained. “We toured last year for the first time as a married couple, and now this, to come back, has a completely different meaning and tension.”
“I’m almost going to have to rename the tour the Miracle Tour or something,” added Erbert’s professional recovery dancer. “Because if there’s a moment where she’s with us and joins us on stage, that’s going to be incredibly special.”
“I don’t even know how I’m going to survive it,” he admitted. “I’m an emotional guy.”
Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough on June 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty
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Although Erbert’s return to the tour has not been confirmed, Hough has announced that he has moved up the rest of his tour after initially postponing it following his wife’s health crisis. The show will continue on April 16 in Tampa, Florida and end in San Diego, California on May 19.
In early December, Erbert suffered a cranial hematoma following the Washington DC stop of their Symphony of Dance tour on December 6. She underwent an emergency craniectomy before cranioplasty surgery that replaced “a large portion of her skull” a day later.
Writing on Instagram at the time, Hough shared that the surgery was a success. “This surgery marks a significant milestone in my wife’s recovery and your support has played a key role in getting us here,” he wrote in the lengthy caption. “We are filled with hope and optimism for the future, knowing that she is on the road to a full recovery, surrounded by a loving community.”
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Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert in “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”.
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty
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Since then, the couple have shared updates on Erbert’s condition and progress. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE earlier this month, Hough shared how supportive both families have been and noted that the public’s outpouring of support has really touched the couple.
“What really makes us – and actually her – the most emotional in all of this is just the love she felt not only from family and friends, but from everyone. It’s a really wonderful feeling and we’re really grateful for that,” he said.
Hough also applauded Erbert’s determination and strength during her healing process.
“She’s amazing. It’s real. It takes double my time just watching the way she handled this situation with such elegance and feeling like she just accepts it as it is,” he said of his wife. “She’s just an incredibly determined person and she’s been incredibly strong through this whole experience.”
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The couple was first linked in 2015, but didn’t get engaged until June 2022. A year later, Hough and Erbert tied the knot in August 2023 in California.
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Source: HIS Education