Derek Hough Credits 'DWTS' With 'Saving His Life' After Wife's Miscarriage

Derek Hough is opening up like never before about how "Dancing With the Stars" helped him survive one of the most difficult chapters of his life. The Emmy-winning dancer and judge, who’s been part of the hit ABC show for two decades, says the ballroom became more than a workplace; it became his lifeline. After a year filled with emotional highs and devastating lows, including his wife Hayley Erbert’s near-fatal health crisis and a heartbreaking miscarriage, Derek says "DWTS" gave him the focus, discipline, and purpose he needed to keep moving forward.

In a new interview with Us Weekly, Hough reflected on the impact "Dancing With the Stars" has had on his personal growth and mental health. Fighting back tears, he revealed that the show helped him stay grounded through tragedy.

“This show literally has saved my life,” Derek said. “Without it, I genuinely don’t know where I would be. It’s so much more than rhinestones and glitter and lights.”

The emotional confession comes less than a year after his wife, Hayley Erbert, underwent an emergency craniectomy in December 2023 following a cranial hematoma. She later received a skull implant and made a full recovery.

Then, in October 2025, the couple, who are now expecting their first child together, revealed they had suffered a miscarriage earlier in the year.

Hough told the outlet that through it all, his work on "DWTS" gave him something to hold onto. “I won’t go into super detail about this. Eventually, I will go deeper,” he said. “But I will say this show literally has saved my life. [I don’t know] what would happen if I didn’t have this thing that kept me focused and on track and kept challenging me to be better.”

Reflecting on his 20-year journey with "Dancing With the Stars," Derek shared that the show has been both his classroom and his therapy.

“I think about that 22-year-old kid who didn’t know what he was doing,” he told Us Weekly. “I’ve had heartbreaks and the best moments of my life in that ballroom. I’ve battled with self-doubt and had fights in that room. So much has happened in this one space. I’ve literally grown up on this show. To do that on TV in front of millions of people, it’s extraordinary. And here we are 20 years later, and it’s bigger than ever.”

He also described how the show’s purpose shifted for him over time, from competition to compassion.

“We went from being competitors, ‘I want to win, I want to be the best,' [to where] it became, ‘This isn’t about me. This is about teaching somebody. This is about their journey. How can I help them?’” he said. “It was a wild transformation to get out of a selfish mentality to ‘I’m here to give.’”

Hough admitted that when he first joined the series, he was terrified. “It was extremely daunting and terrifying,” he said. “You had to face somebody you’re a fan of and act like you know what you’re talking about. And we didn’t have a lot of resources. All the pressure was on us.”

That pressure, he says, became a defining force in his life. And now, 20 seasons later, Derek Hough has become one of "Dancing With the Stars"’ most beloved and enduring figures, not just for his choreography, but for his resilience.

Looking back, Derek Hough admits his "Dancing With the Stars" journey began with pure fear. “It was extremely daunting and terrifying,” he told Us Weekly. “You had to face somebody you’re a fan of and act like you know what you’re talking about. And we didn’t have a lot of the resources. All the pressure was on us.”

That pressure, he says, became the very thing that molded him, transforming the nerves of a 22-year-old newcomer into the confidence of a mentor, judge, and icon. Two decades later, Hough stands as one of "DWTS"’s most celebrated figures.