Derek Hough just opened up about how he's shedding his painful childhood while raising daughter Everley. The Dancing with the Stars host sat down with HELLO! to reflect on his life and love of dance.
Derek, 41, has danced for nearly all of his life. His parents were ballroom dancers, and sent him to London when he was 12 to live with dance coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas. But, Derek did not have an easy childhood.
"I was a bullied kid. I was beaten up, picked on, hung up in a tree… crazy things happened to me as a kid," he shared with HELLO!. "And I went to six different schools — proper bullying."
© InstagramYears later, Derek is turning his pain into joy. The professional dancer joined DWTS in 2007 as a pro. He competed in 17 seasons and won a record-breaking six mirrorball trophies. In 2020, Derek joined the judges panel where he serves up critiques while making sure to add in his signature kindness.
"Dance is something that has been so near and dear to my heart. [So] seeing dance being celebrated… it means so much more to me on a deeper level, and I love it," Derek told HELLO!. "So I'm always here to support the show and support dance, and to support these celebrities and these pros."
© InstagramDerek Hough's life as a dad
The DWTS judge's life looks much different at 41 than when he joined the competition show 19 years ago. In August 2023, Derek married fellow dancer Hayley Erbert after almost a decade together. And, on December 29, 2025, the couple welcomed their daughter, Everley Capri.
The proud parents will soon have a one-year-old. "I'm literally gonna be in Vegas for my show on her birthday," Derek told HELLO!, jokingly adding: "We're hitting casinos… a baby rave."
While Everley is just taking her first steps, she will certainly be joining him on the dance floor in the future.
© Christopher Polk"She will definitely be in dance class, for sure. Will I become a dance dad, a stage dad? Who knows? We'll see. The Phil Dunphy out there," Derek shared, adding: "I encourage anybody to put their kids in dance. It doesn't necessarily mean they have to become a dancer professionally, but dancing is such a fantastic way for socializing, for discipline, for confidence, for body awareness."
How Derek Hough keeps his energy
Derek does seemingly one million things. Aside from judging DWTS and raising a child, he is about to travel across the country for his Dance for the Holidays winter tour, and the host of Extra.
"I'm on Dancing with the Stars, I'm a new dad, I'm on Extra, I'm about to do a 40-[city] tour, I'm in 10-hour rehearsals right now, building the show, and energy is everything. It affects your relationships, it affects your work, it affects everything," he told HELLO!.
© MucinexAs Mucinex's newly minted Chief Recharge Officer, Derek understands how important his health and wellness is. "Mucinex Recharge battles those cold and flu symptoms," he added. "It gives that relief at night, so you can get a good night's sleep, so you can wake up the next day feeling recharged and ready to go."
