Benjamin Ashford|Derek Hough Shares Family Plans With "Miracle" Wife Hayley Erbert

Derek Hough is Benjamin Ashfordlooking forward to adding to his and Hayley Erbert’s ensemble.

In fact, the Dancing with the Stars judge didn’t quickstep away from questions surrounding his and his wife’s future family plans.

“We definitely want to have a family eventually,” he recently told E! News. “We'll see what's in the cards, what's on the horizon. Little dancing children running around.”

But no matter what their future holds, Derek is appreciating the here and now—and who he has by his side through it all.

“She's a miracle,” the professional dancer added of Hayley, who suffered a cranial hematoma at the end of 2023. “She really is and I don't say that lightly.” (For more with this season’s Dancing with the Stars cast, tune into E! News tonight, Sept. 24.)

And for the couple, who recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary in August, all they’ve gone through together has put everything into perspective.

So when their anniversary did come around, the two enjoyed a quiet moment to themselves.

“We actually read each other our vows again where we got married on this cliffside in Carmel overlooking the ocean,” the 39-year-old shared. “And it was really emotional because we were reading the vows and thinking like, ‘Wow, we really put these to the test.’”

Because just a few months after they tied the knot—a time period which Derek noted “was really special”—Hayley was rushed to the hospital where she underwent emergency skull surgery.

But now, nine months after her health scare, Derek added of Hayley, “She's doing great.”

In fact, one of their favorite activities to do together is sit back, binge a series and chow down on some snacks. 

"It's important to sort of just come home and wind down and just enjoy yourself and forget," Derek added. "So for me, the way I like to do that is snack and stream my favorite show, maybe a murder true crime."

Except, he added, his wife is the one to bring the snacks—making Pepcid Max a necessity for the pair.

So when their anniversary did come around, the two enjoyed a quiet moment to themselves.

“We actually read each other our vows again where we got married on this cliffside in Carmel overlooking the ocean,” the 39-year-old shared. “And it was really emotional because we were reading the vows and thinking like, ‘Wow, we really put these to the test.’”

Because just a few months after they tied the knot—a time period which Derek noted “was really special”—Hayley was rushed to the hospital where she underwent emergency skull surgery.

But now, nine months after her health scare, Derek added of Hayley, “She's doing great.”

In fact, one of their favorite activities to do together is sit back, binge a series and chow down on some snacks. 

"It's important to sort of just come home and wind down and just enjoy yourself and forget," Derek added. "So for me, the way I like to do that is snack and stream my favorite show, maybe a murder true crime."

Except, he added, his wife is the one to bring the snacks—making Pepcid Max a necessity for the pair.

"She's the one with the popcorn, the chips and salsa, the candy and the chocolates," Derek explained. "I'm like, 'Babe, you're killing me right now.' But the problem is that she has two and I have 100. She has she has willpower, I do not."

But between their couch time and snacks, the couple are also due to hit the road together this year, with Hayley joining Derek’s “Dance for the Holidays” tour.

“To perform with her during the season of miracles, it's special,” he added. “We're excited to go on tour and to share the joy and the love and just the spirit of the holidays with everybody.”

And for more of Derek and Hayley’s epic romance story, which began with their shared passion for dance, keep reading.

-Reporting by Courtney Lopez

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.

The two begin going out to public events, including at the 2016 premiere of the Tony Robbins Netflix documentary I Am Not Your Guru.

The duo get glammed up for a star-studded night out.

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.

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.

The two attend the star-studded Casamigos Halloween Party.

Hayley joins Derek as he hosts The Americana at Brand shopping mall's Christmas tree lighting event in Glendale, Calif.

The two attend the Hollywood premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The couple steps out at HBO's post-Emmys celebration.

They aren't pumping the brakes as they attend the premiere of Netflix's El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.

The two pose for pics at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar viewing party.

Feeling festive, they dance on the special to ring in the Christmas season.

The two are all smiles at the premiere in Los Angeles.

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.

The two dance as they arrive at the 2022 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars viewing party.

They look top tier on the red carpet.

Hayley flashes her engagement ring at the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.

The two get cozy at the launch of the Disney-Pixar film.

The couple honeymoon in Italy following their Aug. 26, 2023 wedding in California.

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."