Hough is speaking out following Hayley's traumatic brain injury and multiple surgeries.
Derek Hough has plenty of reasons to smile. For starters, he's about to resume his dance tour -- along with new dates! But, more importantly, his biggest reason to smile these days begins and ends with his wife, Hayley Erbert, who is "doing amazing" amid her recent health scare.
Speaking to ET's Denny Directo, the 38-year-old dancing pro shared how Hayley's "doing incredible" months after she was rushed to the hospital to be treated for what would become a traumatic brain injury. That injury ultimately led to invasive and painful surgeries, which included replacing a large portion of her skull.
The symptoms came on after she felt disoriented and then suffering a cranial hematoma during the couple's Symphony of Dance tour stop in Washington, D.C. Earlier this month, Hayley spoke out in an Instagram video saying she's "doing so much better every single day."
Derek echoed that sentiment when ET spoke with him on Thursday.
"She's doing amazing," he said. "She really is. I can't say enough, I really can't, how inspiring she is."
He added, "She's doing better each day. There's still some things we need to sort out, but even now, when I look back at where we were just a couple of months ago to where she is now, it's miraculous. It really is."
Hayley's proven she's nothing short of being a warrior throughout this ordeal. She's also proven to be an inspirational figure.
"It's incredible just to see the way she handled everything with such grace and strength," Derek gushed. "That's just her nature. I was really just in awe of that. It was incredible."
Following the medical scare, Derek paused his dance tour. With Hayley's health trending upward each and every day, Derek's ready to get back out on the dance floor. Derek Hough: A Symphony of Dance tour resumes April 16 in Tampa, Florida, with new dates peppered throughout April and May.
Though she won't be on hand, Derek says Hayley's presence will be felt throughout, particularly because he created the event alongside her.
"Her presence will always be there. We're not really there yet to see what the involvement is physically, but yeah, she's always there," he says.
For now, Derek says it's too early to tell if the goal is to get Hayley involved physically, but one thing is for sure -- she's got a relentless attitude.
"She's very stubborn, and in the best way possible," Derek quipped.
Another trait not lacking the Hough household? Confidence. Take this tour, for example. It's self-funded, an act rooted in the fundamental belief that, well, he believes in himself.
"You know, to self-fund this tour was just a belief. Just sort of the believe of, 'You know what? I feel really confident about this show and I really believe in it.'"
Hough says fans can expect "a different intention" when the tour resumes.
"There's a bit more of a sense of just gratitude to be back on that stage," he says. "There'll be a few little changes, but I really feel like the show we had and will have is so strong. What I love is you really see the relationship of the dancers and the band. Every one of us onstage."
And, speaking of gratitude, Hough's touched by the fact that the dancers made themselves available again as this tour resumes.
"This wasn't planned, right? We weren't planning on going out again," he explained. "They already had certain jobs booked and certain things. But I called them and said, 'Hey, we're gonna go back out. Are you available?' And they said, 'You know, actually, I have another gig but Im gonna find [a] sub for that and we're gonna go finish this thing.'"
And when the tour resumes, one aspect of it he'll enjoy, as per usual, will be interacting with fans, especially those who signed up for meet-and-greets.
"I just love it. I love seeing people face to face. I love giving them big hugs and dancing with them and answering their questions," he says. "I feel like even that was really helpful during this whole process."
He added, "I'm looking forward to that and seeing people and just loving on them and thanking them."
RELATED CONTENT:
