Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough has given an update on his wife Hayley Erbert's condition after she was hospitalized for a cranial hematoma last week.
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"Hayley has always inspired me with her will, her strength, and her resilience and no more so than in the last 48 hrs," Derek wrote via Instagram on Friday, December 8.
"She is now on the long road of recovery. Words cannot express how grateful and thankful we are for the support and love that you have given us," he continued.
"The kindness that we've been shown in this incredibly unfathomable, and life changing time is immeasurable."
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Derek, who just married Hayley in August, also called "offers of assistance" that had poured in "so humbling and appreciated."
The pro dancer and choreographer concluded of his 29-year-old wife, "Our hope is that as a family, we can somehow and someway pay it forward."
Derek initially announced Hayley's medical crisis via Instagram on Thursday, December 7, while on tour for the couple's "Symphony of Dance" show.
"At the end of last night's tour performance in Washington, D.C. [on December 6], my wife Hayley became disoriented and was taken to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy," Derek wrote at the time.
A craniectomy is a surgery done to remove a part of one's skull in order to relieve pressure in that area when the brain swells.
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"She is in stable condition," Derek confirmed in his post.
"I want to thank the first responders and medical personnel who have cared for and continue to care for her. I ask for your prayers and positivity during this time."
Shortly afterward, Derek's sister and Dancing with the Stars co-host Julianne Hough asked her followers for prayers.
"Please pray and send all your love, healing and light to Hayley and Derek," Julianne wrote in her Instagram Stories. "Thank you from the depths of our families hearts!"
Many members of the Dancing with the Stars family have wished Hayley well and sent Derek messages of love and support -- including Alfonso Ribeiro, Allison Holker, Charity Lawson, Jenna Johnson, Ariana Madix, Carrie Ann Inaba, Alan Bersten and Witney Carson.
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"Sending you all the love I have in my soul. Prayers for a speedy recovery," Alfonso, host of Dancing with the Stars, commented.
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Hayley went to the hospital only one day after Dancing with the Stars aired its Season 32 finale on ABC, when Marvel star Xochitl Gomez and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy were crowned champions.
Hayley faced another health scare around this same time last year, when she and Derek got into a snowy and "scary" accident while driving on icy roads together.
Hayley and Derek had posted the same video on Instagram in December 2022 that showed Hayley receiving stitches on the side of her face after their car hit a tree and then recovering with a bunch of junk food.
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"On December 12, Derek and I got into a pretty scary car accident in the mountains. Our accident involved a steep hill, icy roads, a tree, and worst of all, the fear that we would slide off the mountain," Hayley captioned the video.
"Given the circumstances, we have so much to be grateful for. First, that there were no other people involved. Second, the quick response from paramedics. And lastly, that we are both okay and that I only walked away a little banged up, a swollen face, and four stitches above my eyebrow."
Hayley concluded, "Now, more than ever, we realize how fragile life is and how important it is to love those around you. We hope that everyone has a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season."
Derek, however, wrote in his then-fiancee's comments that she didn't "remember anything" after the crash and she was "dazed afterwards," yet still "cheerful."
Derek and Hayley got engaged in June 2022 after more than six years of dating.
"It's only the beginning... the beginning of forever," the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post at the time.
Hayley and Derek met in 2014 when Hayley joined Derek and Julianne on their "Move Live Tour," according to Us Weekly.
Hayley and Derek's work relationship took a romantic turn one year later in 2015.
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But Hayley didn't find fame until she competed on So You Think You Can Dance's tenth season as a contemporary dancer and also performed as a member of the Dancing with the Stars troupe beginning in 2016.
Derek has served as a judge on both World of Dance and Dancing with the Stars.