CELEBRITIES

Derek Hough

Credit: Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic

BIO

Most famous for his role in ABC's Dancing With the Stars, Derek Hough is a professional ballroom dancer and entertainer.

Hough was born on May 17, 1985, in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a passion for dancing. At the age of 12, he moved to London alongside his sister Julianne Hough to further their dancing careers. He starred in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Millfield Theatre, and danced in the company in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium. Hough then played the role of Ren McCormack in both the U.K. Tour and the West-End run of Footloose the Musical, which ran from April until November 2006.

He is a former world champion in Latin American Dance and is now a professional dancer on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. He has been partnered with celebrities including Jennie Garth, Shannon Elizabeth, Brooke Burke, Lil' Kim, Joanna Krupa and Nicole Scherzinger. Hough has earned himself two mirror ball trophies with Burke and Scherzinger. He also dated Shannon Elizabeth but in August of 2009, they announced their split.

Hough's sister, Julianne, also appears as one of the other professional dancers on DWTS causing some sibling rivalry. If that isn't enough, his best friend, Mark Ballas, also dances on the show. Ballas and Hough perform in a band called the Ballas Hough Band.