Dancing with the Stars alum Derek Hough spoke exclusively with Us Weekly about life after leaving DWTS and whether he’d consider returning to the hit ABC show.
“I will never say never,” Hough told Us exclusively at the Choreography Nominee Reception in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 27. “Listen, I’m an advocate for dance and I’m an advocate for entertaining. I’m an entertainer. I’m here to serve. I’m here to serve the audience and to create stories and to serve the world of dance. So any way I can help, I’ll be happy to do it.”
The 32-year-old, who left the hit reality competition series last season for a spot at the judges table on NBC’s World of Dance, made clear that he will continue to support the show that helped launch his and sister Julianne Hough’s careers.
“I love the show and being a part of it for 400 something episodes and 18 seasons and 6 wins and 2 Emmys. I’m so grateful for that show. I love it so much. It’s family. They are my friends.”
He continued: “I will always be a positive ambassador for that show for as long as I live because it gave me so much and I love it so much. But I’m very excited about this new chapter I’ve turned and it’s been very successful so far. It’s just been wonderful. I’m very excited.”
And while Hough has a lot on his plate professionally, the hunk also has a busy personal life. The athlete has been dating DWTS troupe dancer Hayley Erbert since July 2015.
The adorable pair both share a love for dance, but the professional dancer told Us they are not competitive with each other.
“I have to tell her to be more competitive, because she’s not competitive at all,”he said. “I’m very competitive. I’m like, Baby come on. You gotta be more … and she’s just like, ‘Nah. I’m OK.’ She downplays everything she does and I’m like, no no no you gotta celebrate it. She’s just so humble.”
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