Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert, cherished “the precious gift of life and the love” they share in a sweet photo together on Christmas as Erbert recovers from emergency brain surgery for bleeding in her skull.
The “Dancing With the Stars” alums shared a shot on Instagram of them enjoying a kiss in front of their Christmas tree with Erbert wearing a festive green polka-dotted wrap around her head as she continues her recovery.
“Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! 🎄 Cherishing the greatest gift of all,” the couple, who are celebrating their first Christmas together since getting married over the summer, wrote in a joint post. “The precious gift of life and the love we share. Hold your loved ones close and treasure every moment. ♥️”
Numerous current and former members of “Dancing With the Stars” shared their support in the comments.
“You are our Christmas miracle,” Hough’s sister Julianne Hough commented.
“So good to see you! Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁 sending you so much love,” Carrie Ann Inaba, a longtime “DWTS” judge, wrote.
“Merry Christmas ❤️ sending you love, light and healing,” former “Glee” star and “DWTS” alum Heather Morris commented.
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The happy update came after Hough, 38, shared on Instagram that Erbert, 29, underwent surgery Dec. 20 to replace a portion of her skull that was removed during a craniectomy earlier in the month.
“With immense relief, gratitude and overwhelming joy I’d like to share that Hayley’s cranioplasty surgery has been successfully completed as planned,” he wrote.
The positive update came a day after Hough shared that Erbert was having surgery to replace the portion of her skull. He had shared on Dec. 7 that Erbert had been hospitalized at the end of their professional dance tour performance in Washington, D.C., because she had become disoriented.
Doctors diagnosed her with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel that required an emergency craniectomy, according to Hough. He followed up with a video on Instagram on Dec. 15 of the two of them walking together outside the Washington Monument, with Erbert wearing protective headgear.
“It was a time filled with uncertainty and fear, going from living our dreams onstage, to a nightmare in an instant,” Hough wrote. “But today, we are filled with hope and relief.”
He added that her recovery process has been “a miracle” before noting she had another surgery coming up to replace the part of her skull that was removed during the emergency surgery.
“It’s been a profound reminder of how fragile life can be and how quickly things can change,” he wrote. “But, it has also shown us the incredible strength and resilience that lies within us and the power of having a supportive community around us.”
