Hayley Erbert experienced a wave of emotion when she received a standing ovation upon her return to husband Derek Hough's "Symphony of Dance" tour.

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An audience member posted a video on TikTok of Hayley returning to the stage for a night of performances on Sunday, April 14 in Melbourne, FL, following multiple brain surgeries.

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In the video, Hayley, 29, can be seen tearing up as the crowd cheered for her and the other performers.

Hayley then got more emotional and cried as the other dancers -- including the show's headliner, Derek, who serves as a judge on Dancing with the Stars -- took a step back to let her soak in the moment.

Dancing with the Stars pro Lindsay Arnold commented, "@Hayley Erbert Hough you are the strongest, most inspiring person I know."

A TikTok user wrote, "I love how Derek stepped back and let her have her moment."

Derek also gushed about his wife's return to the tour via Instagram Stories.

"Wow!! What a fantastic show!!! What a beautiful first show back. We were all crying tears of happiness with you," Derek wrote in the caption.

Hayley announced on Good Morning America that she was medically cleared to rejoin the "Symphony of Dance" tour earlier this month and that her first show back would be on April 14.

Derek also shared on GMA at the time, "We cannot wait to dance together again on stage and be back with all of our fans and thank them. Thank you for all the amazing support that you have shown during this time. So we cannot wait and see you very, very soon."

After Hayley made the announcement, she took to Instagram and wrote, "What a blessing (and surprise) it is to be able to be back on stage dancing with my love after such a crazy past four months."

"My healing journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and being able to dance again is igniting my soul in all the ways; speeding up my recovery even more," she continued.
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"I am so appreciative of the doctors who have supported me in my decision to dance again and my team of specialists that have been assembled to assure that my health and safety is [the] priority."

Hayley noted that she couldn't wait for all of her fans to see the show and it would be "even more special" to her post-recovery.

Hayley's return to the tour -- which reportedly ends in San Diego, CA, on May 19 -- comes more than four months after her health crisis began in December 2023.

In early December, Hayley became "disoriented" after a performance on the couple's tour and was taken to the hospital, where she discovered she had a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy.

A couple of weeks later, the pro dancer had a cranioplasty to replace a large portion of her skull that had been removed during her prior surgery.

Derek and Hayley made their first public appearance together when they went out walking in Los Angeles, CA, after her two surgeries on February 3.

And on February 5, Derek and Hayley posted a lengthy Instagram video, sharing details about Hayley's journey to recovery, new look, and new "outlook on life."

Hayley allowed fans to see her shaved head and the large scar she has going down her middle part.

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"[It's] a new scar, a new sac of fluid on the side of my face -- which is supposed to eventually go away, but right now it's still there," Hayley said with a laugh, showing that she was in good spirits.

Derek pointed out how his wife, whom he married in August 2023, had a little bit of cerebral spinal fluid draining out of her head near her temple.

"I've also got a new skull," Hayley said. "But yeah, also a new outlook on life. Life is so precious. Just spend time with the ones you love. Hold them close because you never know what could happen."

Derek agreed and elaborated, "We've had the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, but I have to say that throughout this experience, this woman has been unbelievable. Her perseverance, her acceptance of the whole situation, and her strength -- it's been remarkable to witness firsthand."

"She really is a miracle and it has been miraculous," the Dancing with the Stars judge added, "and it's still a journey."

Hayley admitted that she was still having "really good days and really bad days" emotionally and physically.

"But I'm doing so much better every single day. Truly, there is so much progress every day and I'm so grateful for that," Hayley noted.

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.

Derek and Hayley, who got engaged in June 2022 after more than six years of dating, told fans how much their support and prayers had meant to them via Instagram.

"I genuinely felt that [love] through my body and I felt it in my heart and I felt it in my soul," Hayley told her followers in March.

"I believe that it's what got me through this a little bit faster. And it's helped me heal. It's what helped me stay positive throughout the entire experience."

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Hayley also teased that she and Derek will share more specific details about her health crisis at a later time.

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"We will eventually share, but we're not quite there [yet]. But we will," Hayley noted.

Hayley was a contestant on Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance before joining Dancing with the Stars' Troupe and meeting Derek.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.