Hayley Erbert had an emotional reaction to the crowd’s standing ovation after her return to husband Derek Hough‘s Symphony of Dance tour.
In a video posted via TikTok by a showgoer, Erbert, 29, can be seen tearing up as the crowd cheered for her and the rest of the performers onstage after the Sunday, April 14, show in Melbourne, Florida.
The dance pro then got even more emotional after Hough, 38, and the other dancers stepped back to let her soak in the moment.
Fans and fellow dancers were quick to comment on the touching video, with Dancing With the Stars pro Lindsay Arnold Cusick writing, “@Hayley Erbert Hough you are the strongest, most inspiring person I know,” while a fan added, “I love how Derek stepped back and let her have her moment.”
Hough also commemorated his wife’s return to the stage via his Instagram Story, reposting a collage of photos from the big night. “Wow!! What a fantastic show!!! What a beautiful first show back. We were all crying tears of happiness with you,” he shared in the caption.
@jess_on_mainstreet She is such an inspirational woman❤️ @Derek Hough @Hayley Erbert Hough #derekhough #hayleyerbert #derekhoughsymphonyofdance #symphonyofdance #dancing #dancingwiththestars #derekhoughlivetour #dance #emotional #dancer #insprational #emotional #dwts
Erbert’s performance in Sunday’s show comes more than four months after she had an emergency craniectomy in December 2023.
“At the end of last night’s tour performance in Washington, D.C., my wife Hayley became disoriented and was taken to the hospital,” Hough wrote via Instagram at the time. “She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy. She is in stable condition.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, an intracranial hematoma is a “collection of blood within the skull.” The surgery involved removing a portion of the skull to relieve the pressure from the extra blood.
Amid Erbert’s health scare, she was able to lean on her husband for support. A source exclusively told Us Weekly in January that the situation had “given them a new appreciation for their life together.” The pair married in August 2023 after eight years of dating.
Earlier this month, Erbert told Good Morning America that she was “so excited to announce that I have been cleared to rejoin the Symphony of Dance tour and I will be dancing when the tour begins on April 14 in Melbourne, Florida.”
Hough added at the time, “We cannot wait to dance together again on stage and be back with all of our fans. Thank you for all the amazing support that you have shown during this time. So we cannot wait and see you very, very soon.”
