Derek Hough had a bittersweet experience watching Céline Dion’s I Am: Céline Dion documentary after wife Hayley Erbert’s own health struggles.
“The documentary was incredibly powerful, showing Celine’s struggles with SPS but also her quirky and fun side,” Hough, 39, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, June 27, revealing he and Erbert, 29, watched the Prime Video doc the night before.
The Dancing With the Stars judge explained that “a very difficult scene” to watch was when Dion, 56, had a SPS (stiff person syndrome) seizure “play out in real time” on the big screen.
“It was so hard to watch seeing her in pain like that,” Hough wrote, noting, “It also reminded me of Hayley’s seizure on the side of the stage a few months ago. I could barely re-watch.”
Erbert was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel in December 2023 which required emergency craniectomy to relieve the pressure on her brain.
Once Erbert had recovered, she was given the OK to resume dancing alongside her husband on their Symphony of Dance Tour in April.
“I DID IT! This tour reignited many parts of me that have been dim for so long,” Erbert wrote via Instagram last month after getting back on stage. “So, for that, I cannot thank everyone who came out to support us on this wild journey enough. I am so grateful to still be here, with you all, doing what I love. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🫶🏼.”
Dion has been on a similar, but longer, health journey that has kept her from performing. The Grammy winner announced in December 2022 that she was diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome. The illness caused her to have “spasms” that affected her vocal cords.
While she learned to navigate her disorder, Dion had to cancel her tour for more than a year. In her I Am: Céline Dion documentary, the singer documents her ups and downs as she continues to work toward getting back on stage.
“I miss it so much. The people. I miss them,” she says at one point. “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. And I won’t stop.”
Hough, who met Dion years prior to her diagnosis, gushed over the musician’s strength after seeing her doc.
“Celine is an absolute legend, with a unique and one in a billion voice,” he wrote on Thursday. “We’re so blessed to witness her talent in our lifetime. I pray she heals and returns to the stage she loves so much.”
Hough called Dion a “firecracker” and shared a video of him and Erbert dancing with her after their meet and greet.
I Am: Céline Dion is currently streaming on Prime Video.
