Derek Hough’s Wife Shows Skull Scar For First Time

Derek Hough / Instagram

For the first time, Hayley Erbert showed her shaved head and the scar on her skull since having an emergency craniectomy and a cranioplasty.

Hayley was on the road with her Emmy-winning husband on his Symphony of Dance tour. Ticket sales did so well when they first were available for purchase, that they added four more shows to the end of the tour, with it planning to wrap up on December 30th.

But their December 6th show in Washington D.C. changed everything. According to fans, Hayley did not come out for a duet she usually performs with Derek, and she was missing from final bows, which worried the audience. The next day (Dec. 7), Derek took to Instagram and wrote,

“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.”

The rest of Derek’s tour was immediately postponed to future, unknown dates.

A week later, Derek took to social media to share a video of him and Hayley on a walk in D.C. She was wearing a skull helmet and walking slowly, but you could tell they were both just happy to be outside, seeing the sunlight. In the caption of the post, he updated fans on her health.

He wrote, “Hayley is doing well. 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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A post shared by Derek Hough (@derekhough)

On December 21, Derek shared that the second surgery was a success. Because of this, they were able to spend their first married Christmas together, and had a new appreciation for life.

 

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A post shared by Hayley Erbert Hough (@hayley.erbert)

Hayley had a scarf on her head, but you can see she had to have her long hair cut off and shaved so they could perform the surgeries.

RELATED: Derek Hough’s Wife Shares First Photo After 2 Skull Surgeries

On February 5th, Derek and Hayley filmed a video for their fans to give an update on her health…and showed off her scar for the first time.

Hayley started out of frame and came in to sit next to her husband.

“Hi guys,” she said softly.

They spoke about the new outlook they have on life, and how this has reminded them to be thankful for everyday they have, because you really never know when that will be taken away from you.

Derek said, “It’s been wild going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. But I have to say, throughout this experience, this woman has been unbelievable and her perseverance and her acceptance of the whole situation, her strength, it’s been remarkable to witness firsthand.”

Hayley revealed that while she was in good spirits that day, it wasn’t always the case.

“To this day, I still have really good days and I have really bad days, emotionally and physically sometimes, but I’m doing so much better every single day. Truly there is so much progress every day and I’m so grateful for that.”

Hayley thanked everyone for the “messages, love, energy, light, and prayers.” She believes that’s what got her through everything, and said she could feel all the support she had in her body.

Hayley noted that 2024 has brought a new haircut, a new scar – which she showed off for the first time – she also has “a new outlook on life.”

“Life is so precious. Spend time with the ones you love. Hold them close ’cause you never know what could happen.”

She ended the video by saying she was “grateful to be alive and be here to tell my story.”

Derek and Hayley were married in August 2023 in a gorgeous forest wedding. We will continue to pray for Hayley’s recovery. Watch the full video below.