Originally appeared on E! Online
Derek Hough is getting ready for a new kind of dance break.
As the Dancing With the Stars judge and pregnant wife Hayley Erbert prepare to welcome a new baby into their family, they’re also gearing up to hit the road for Derek Hough Symphony of Dance: Encore, which kicks off in June.
Though he had his reservations about going on tour so soon after baby.
“I actually said, ‘Honey, I don’t know,’” he exclusively shared with E! News. “I was like, ‘I don’t even know if I want to go on tour. I don’t know what I’m gonna feel, what I’m gonna experience. I don’t know how my life is gonna be. How personally my worldview is gonna change—and our life together as a family.’”
But two years after Hayley underwent brain surgery for cranial hematoma, performing has given the duo new meaning.
“Just like her recovery, she had this goal, this mission to work towards something,” Derek added. “And it really helped her recover. I think that she has a similar mentality even with this.”
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However, Derek, 40, and Hayley, 31, are trying to keep it as low pressure as possible as they learn what touring with a newborn is really like.
“We’re like, ‘Let’s see how it goes and let’s see if it makes sense,’” the pro explained. “‘Your health is no. 1 and our family is no. 1.’”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation
And the decision to go out on tour wasn’t one the couple—who married in August 2023—made without consulting DWTS costars Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson as well as Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach, all of whom have balanced their careers with parenthood.
“We asked them, ‘How was that? What was the experience like?’” Derek recounted. “And they said, ’It is fantastic.”
On tour, he recalled being advised, “You’re with them all day—your undivided attention. You’re just there and then you put them down for bed, and then you go out and you do what you were born to do.”
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
And for Derek, that’s dance. And now, he gets to share that with the next generation.
“We’re both very excited to enter into this new chapter in our lives as parents,” Derek raved. “And then also to continue our love and passion for performing.”
Tickets for Derek and Hayley’s national tour are now on sale.
And before seeing the duo tear it up on the dance floor, shimmy on down below for a deep dive into the couple’s love story.
October 2015: Hayley Joins Dancing With the Stars
Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert meet back in 2014 when she performed on his and sister Julianne Hough‘s tour. A Dancing With the Stars producer is impressed with Hayley and she is called to interview to join the show’s troupe, getting the job the following year, according to the Hutchington News. Also in 2015, she and Derek begin dating.
July 2016: Derek & Hayley Step Out
The two begin going out to public events, including at the 2016 premiere of the Tony Robbins Netflix documentary I Am Not Your Guru.
September 2016: Creative Arts Emmys Governors Ball
The duo get glammed up for a star-studded night out.
August 2017: Red Carpet Debut
The dancers make their red carpet debut as a couple at the Television Academy’s 2017 Choreography Peer Group Celebration at Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, Calif.
September 2017: Emmys Date
Hayley joins Derek as his date for the Creative Arts Emmys, where he was nominated for Outstanding Choreography for his work on Dancing With the Stars.
October 2017: Happy Halloween
The two attend the star-studded Casamigos Halloween Party.
November 2017: Christmas Tree Lighting
Hayley joins Derek as he hosts The Americana at Brand shopping mall’s Christmas tree lighting event in Glendale, Calif.
May 2018: May the Force Be With You
The two attend the Hollywood premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
September 2018: Emmys After-Party Date
The couple steps out at HBO’s post-Emmys celebration.
October 2019: They Are the Ones Who Hug
They aren’t pumping the brakes as they attend the premiere of Netflix’s El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
February 2020: Oscars Party Date
The two pose for pics at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Oscar viewing party.
November 2020: Disney Holiday Singalong
Feeling festive, they dance on the special to ring in the Christmas season.
August 2021: Respect Premiere
The two are all smiles at the premiere in Los Angeles.
August 2021: Emmy Winner
The partners appear at the Creative Arts Emmys, where Derek wins Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming for his work on Dancing with the Stars.
March 2022: Oscars Party Dance
The two dance as they arrive at the 2022 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars viewing party.
May 2022: Top Gun: Maverick Premiere
They look top tier on the red carpet.
June 2022: Engaged
Hayley flashes her engagement ring at the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
June 2023: Elemental Premiere
The two get cozy at the launch of the Disney-Pixar film.
August 2023: Just Married and Honeymoon
The couple honeymoon in Italy following their Aug. 26, 2023 wedding in California.
December 2023: In Sickness and in Health
Derek was by Hayley’s side as she underwent emergency skull surgery due to a burst blood vessel. “It was a time filled with uncertainty and fear, going from living our dreams onstage, to a nightmare in an instant,” he wrote on Instagram over a week later. “Her recovery process has been nothing short of a miracle.”
October 2024: Road to Recovery
After being given medical clearance to get back to performing, Hayley and Derek resumed their Symphony of Dance tour in April 2024. In October, she made her triumphant return to the ballroom as she joined her husband for an emotional routine set to Benson Boone‘s “Beautiful Things.”
July 2025: Baby on the Way
The couple announced they’d be welcoming a new addition to their family as they revealed they were expecting their first baby together. Alongside an Instagram video unveiling their unborn child’s sonogram, Hayley wrote, “We can’t believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small.”
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