Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert are one of the most beloved couples in the Dancing with the Stars family. The pair tied the knot in 2023, and they’re currently expecting their first child together. But how did they actually meet?
How Did Hayley Erbert, Derek Hough Meet?
If you thought that Erbert and Hough met on the set of Dancing with the Stars, think again. The couple first became acquainted in 2014, when Erbert was hired to go on tour with Hough and his sister Julianne.
Erbert had previously competed on the FOX talent show So You Think You Can Dance in 2013, reaching the Top 6. She later participated in the show’s live tour before joining the Houghs on the road.
Although Erbert and Hough reportedly did not begin dating while she was touring with him, Erbert’s involvement with the tour ultimately helped her get a job as a troupe member on Dancing with the Stars in 2015.
“They got my contact information from Derek and Julianne, called me and set up an interview,” Erbert said in a 2016 interview. “I interviewed right after I got off tour and found out a couple of weeks later that I was on Season 21. That was really exciting for me, not being a trained ballroom dancer, it was really exciting.”
The Couple Kept Their Romance Private at First
Season 21 of Dancing with the Stars premiered in September 2015, featuring Erbert in her first season as a troupe member and Hough paired with Bindi Irwin as a pro dancer. Hough and Bindi went on to win the Mirrorball trophy that season.
According to People, Hough and Erbert started dating sometime during the filming of Season 21. However, they kept their romance private at first. It wasn’t until November 2016 that Hough revealed he was dating someone and admitted, “I see myself married with kids within the next five years.”
It didn’t happen quite as fast as he predicted, although the couple did go Instagram official in May 2017. They were more public about their relationship over the next several years, posting on social media and performing together on DWTS.
In June 2022, Erbert and Hough announced their engagement. They ended up tying the knot in August 2023. Just a few months later, Erbert underwent emergency surgery following a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel. Hough supported her through her recovery and eventual return to dancing.
Then in July 2025, the couple shared the exciting news that they’re expecting their first child together. As they wrote in their pregnancy announcement, “We can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small.”
