Derek Hough

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. Derek 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.

Derek is a former world champion in Latin American Dance. He joined ABC’s Dancing With the Stars as a professional dancer in 2007 when he was partnered with Jennie Garth. He earned six mirror ball trophies before exiting the show after season 23 in 2016. Derek returned to DWTS in 2020 as a judge.

The Nashville alum’s sister, Julianne, also appeared as one of the other professional dancers as did his best friend, Mark Ballas, during his time on the competition series. Ballas and Derek perform in a band called the Ballas Hough Band.

Derek began dating Hayley Erbert in 2015 after she joined his and Julianne’s tour one year prior. The couple announced their engagement in June 2022. They tied the knot in August 2023.