Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough recently sat down for their first live TV interview about Erbert’s health scare in 2023. The married couple also discussed their new documentary about the experience on Good Morning America.
Hayley Erbert, Derek Hough Discuss Her Health Scare
Hayley Erbert and Derek Hough’s new documentary The Symphony of Dance depicts the couple’s journey navigating Erbert’s health scare in December 2023. While on tour, Erbert suffered a cranial hematoma and had to undergo an emergency craniectomy.
In an interview with Michael Strahan on GMA, Erbert and Hough reflected on the difficult experience. Hough admitted that he “felt responsible” because Erbert’s health issues occurred while the two were dancing together. He actually “felt resentment toward dancing” as “the thing that almost killed her.”
“People say, ‘Were you strong for her?’ I’m like, ‘No, no, no, she was strong for all of us,'” Hough said of his wife. “She was there with a smile, hooked up to the tubes and the wires in the hospital. And she had this determination, this ‘I’m gonna dance again, I’m gonna be on that floor again.’ And she defied all the odds.'”
Erbert was told by doctors that she might never even be able to walk again, let alone dance. The dancer acknowledged that she is “a very stubborn person.” She was so determined that she went back to dancing four months after surgery.
Erbert told GMA that she feels “really strong” now, pointing out that she just gave birth to a baby girl five months ago. The couple welcomed their daughter, Everley Capri Hough, in January. Erbert said they’re “on cloud nine.”
The couple is premiering a new documentary about the experience, and Erbert’s return to dancing, titled The Symphony of Dance. The film will debut this weekend at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.
Erbert told GMA that, according to her doctors, dancing is good for brain health. She shared that returning to dancing as she recovered from her health issues “helped heal my soul.”
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
