“Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough and his wife, dancer Hayley Erbert, are sharing a deeply personal part of their lives. In a joint interview with People magazine, the DWTS stars have shared intimate details about the emotional and empowering experience of welcoming their daughter, Everley, through a home birth.
An Empowering Home Birth Without an Epidural
“You don’t know what sounds you can make until you have a child,” Erbert, 31, shared in an interview with People published Wednesday, January 21.
She recalled that Everley’s December 2025 arrival meant she “didn’t have the option of an epidural or any pain management.”
Despite the intensity of the moment, Erbert said the experience reshaped her in the most meaningful way. “It was very unique,” she added.
“Did I ever expect it to be the way that it was? Absolutely not, but it was so empowering and beautiful, and it’s how our beautiful baby girl came into this world. I would not change a single second of it. It was perfect in every way.”
Derek Hough on Witnessing ‘Pure Power’ During Labor
For Hough, witnessing his wife in labor was deeply moving. He described a space filled with calm and purpose as they prepared to welcome their daughter.
“We had candles everywhere, beautiful music playing,” he told People. “To be in the room during Hayley’s labor, holding her … She just became power. I was in awe the whole time. I was like, ‘Damn. Y’all women are badasses.’”
GettyThe experience came after years marked by health scares and loss, moments that ultimately reshaped how the couple views family, strength, and gratitude.
Hayley Shares Health Update After Life-Changing Surgery
Erbert also shared an honest update on her health, reflecting on life more than two years after undergoing a craniectomy that required doctors to remove a significant portion of her skull. She later underwent a second procedure to have an implant placed.
Getty“Honestly, I’m always looking out. If I get a headache, I instantly have some, like, PTSD where I’m like, ‘Is this going to go away?’ Because it all started with just a headache,” she said. “But there’s really nothing that I have to be aware of or be on the lookout for. It’s just living life.”
Hough said one moment from her recovery remains especially vivid for him.
“One of the first things Hayley said when she came to after her surgery — missing half of her skull, face swollen — was not, ‘Am I going to be able to dance again?’ It was, ‘Am I able to have children in the future?’” he recalled. “The doctor was like, ‘Yes, of course.’ And here we are.”
From Loss to a Beautiful Rainbow Baby & Looking Ahead
The couple began dating in 2015, got engaged in 2022, and married in 2023. That same year brought a major health crisis when Erbert was hospitalized and treated for a cranial hematoma.
In July 2025, they shared that they were expecting their first child. Months later, they also opened up about a previous miscarriage, choosing to speak publicly during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
“There are some things in life that change you forever,” they wrote in a joint Instagram post in October 2025.
“For us, this is one of those things. A chapter of love, loss, heartbreak, and everything in between. As we are now in October, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, we share this part of our story to honor our baby that never made it earthside. One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, a silent heartbreak so many families know, and one we unfortunately had to experience. As we share this, know that there’s a rainbow not far behind. ♥️🌈.”
A Cautious Pregnancy & Hope for the Future
While awaiting Everley’s arrival, Erbert said she felt thankful for a relatively smooth pregnancy.
“I didn’t really have any morning sickness. I had some food aversions, but I felt really at peace,” she shared with People. “Anytime I would feel a movement, I’d be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, babe, this is wild.’”
She added, “I felt like I had a little alien inside of me. Everley does these karate kicks when we’re changing her. I was like, ‘That’s what was happening inside of me.’ It’s really cool to be able to see it now in real life.”
Because of their earlier loss, the couple waited until nearly 20 weeks to announce the pregnancy publicly.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of symptoms in the beginning. I was feeling so good, so I got really scared that something happened. It really freaked us out,” Erbert said.
“When we were on our adventures, we tried to live life to the fullest because we knew it’d be the last year of just the two of us. But when we’d get home, we’d do a scan just to make sure everything was still OK.”
Looking ahead, they are open to expanding their family. “There’s a saying that your first one makes you want a million children, and your second makes you feel like you have a million. So I’m like, ‘OK, good to know,’” Erbert told People.
Hough added, “I know, because after this we’re like, ‘All right babe, let’s go! Let’s go.’”
After years defined by recovery, fear, and loss, the couple says welcoming Everley has brought a renewed sense of peace and strength, marking a chapter filled with gratitude, healing, and immense joy.
(You can read their original interview with People here.)
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