Derek Hough says wife Hayley Erbert is 'on the long road of recovery' after 'emergency craniectomy'

"Words cannot express how grateful and thankful we are," he said.

December 8, 2023, 7:08 PM

Derek Hough's wife, Hayley Erbert, is on the mend after undergoing an emergency craniectomy this week.

In an Instagram post that the "Dancing with the Stars" judge shared on Friday, Hough said that Erbert is "now on the long road of recovery."

"Hayley has always inspired me with her will, her strength, and her resilience and no more so than in the last 48 hrs," Hough said. "Words cannot express how grateful and thankful we are for the support and love tha you have given us."

"The kindness that we've been shown in this incredibly unfathomable, and life changing time is immeasurable," he continued. "The offers of assistance that have poured in have been so humbling and appreciated. Our hope is that as a family, we can somehow and some way pay it forward."

On Thursday, Hough shared in an Instagram post that Erbert "became disoriented and was taken to the hospital" at the end of their Symphony of Dance tour performance in Washington, D.C., the previous night.

PHOTO: Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert attends the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., June 14, 2023.
Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert attends the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny U.S. Premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., June 14, 2023.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images

He explained she had a hematoma from a burst blood vessel and "required an emergency craniectomy," adding that she is in "stable condition."

An emergency craniectomy is a type of brain surgery typically performed in emergency situations, which relieves pressure on the brain. During the procedure, a surgeon removes a piece of skull, which is later replaced during a surgery called a cranioplasty, according to StatPearls, an online library published in the National Library of Medicine.

The couple got engaged in June 2022 and tied the knot in August.