Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert, have announced that they are expecting their first child together.
The dancers shared the baby news on Tuesday, July 22, by uploading a romantic video in a joint Instagram post. In the clip, Hough, 40, walks toward his wife and the two sweetly embrace and kiss. Erbert, 30, then wraps her arms around her husband before unfurling a roll of four ultrasound photos. The pair continues to hug and sway together as the video ends with a close-up of the ultrasound.
“We can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small,” they captioned the post.
The couple also added the song “So Small” by the duo Alexander Jean to the clip. (Fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro Mark Ballas, who is a longtime friend of Hough, is one-half of the indie music duo.)
Below the post, many members of the “Dancing With the Stars” family, including Ballas, celebrated Hough and Erbert’s pregnancy announcement.
Ballas left multiple replies. “YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY I am so happy for you both,” he cheered in one comment. He also posted a gif of actor Bernard Cribbins becoming emotional from an episode of “Doctor Who.” In another reply, he wrote, “I am,” and added a series of crying emoji. For his final comment, he said he was looking forward to planning playdates with “Baby Hough” and his son, Banski Wylde Ballas, whom he welcomed in December 2023 with wife BC Jean.
Other “DWTS” pros congratulated the couple, too. Rylee Arnold wrote, “I’m crying!!!!! This is the best news ever!!!! Congrats you two I couldn’t be happier.”
Britt Stewart commented, “Truly no words can match this blessing!!!! Auntie Britt is ready! Love you both so much,” with a few red hearts.
Jenna Johnson said, “OMGGGG!!!! Baby Hough. Cannot wait to meet you!!!!!! Congratulations mama”
Celebrity friends also chimed in to share their excitement for the first-time parents.
Actor Jenna Dewan said, “Awwwwww congratulations to you both!!!!! So exciting!!!!”
“Omg! Omg! This is amazing!” Jennifer Love Hewitt wrote.
Hough and Erbert began dating in 2015 after meeting on “Dancing With the Stars.” They tied the knot in August 2023 in a California wedding, People reported at the time. But just a few months after their nuptials, Erbert suffered a life-threatening medical emergency.
In December 2023, the newlyweds were performing on tour when Erbert “became disoriented and was taken to the hospital,” Hough shared in a statement on Instagram at the time. He said that his wife was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma due to a burst blood vessel in her skull and that she had an emergency craniectomy. The procedure is a type of surgery that relieves pressure on the brain by removing part of the skull, according to Cleveland Clinic.
He continued to share updates about her progress on social media, later posting a video a few weeks later on Instagram of Erbert wearing protective head gear as the two walked hand-in-hand in Washington, D.C. He explained in the caption that his wife needed to have another surgery soon “to insert a skull implant to replace the piece that was removed during the craniectomy.”
Nearly a year after her health scare and surgeries, Erbert returned to the “Dancing With the Stars” stage in October 2024 to dance with her husband. Prior to their performance, Hough spoke about the “pure fear” he felt the night Erbert had seizures and was taken to the hospital.
He called his wife his “beautiful miracle.”
Erbert then spoke and praised her husband, saying, “I’ll be forever grateful to everybody that supported me through this. That’s why I’m here today. He was my rock throughout it all.”
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