Derek Hough *Finally* Got Engaged To Girlfriend Hayley...With A Gorgeous Ring
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If you’ve ever seen Dancing With The Stars judge Derek Hough dance, you know he’s got some serious skills and six (!) mirrorball trophies to his name.
But apparently, he has some smooth moves in the love department, too. Derek is known for posting (ridiculously cute) Instagrams of his girlfriend Hayley Erbert and everyone has been waiting forever for him to go ahead and put a ring on it.
Well, there's good news for Derek and Hayley fans! On Thursday, the couple announced their engagement in a joint Instagram and everyone—including his fellow judges—are dying to know more BTS info about their relationship and recent engagement.
"It’s only the beginning…the beginning of forever ♥️," the couple captioned their adorable announcement. The couple hasn't commented on their big news (aside from that IG post on June 2, of course), but everyone is thrilled for them.
"Omg!! Yessss… we’ve been waiting for this!! Lol…Congratulations 🍾🎈🎊 ❤️," J.Lo commented. "Finally ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ most gorgeous couple ever 😍," added Heidi Klum. And of course, sister Julianne Hough left her praise, too.
Based on the tags in the photo, Derek went to Paris Jewellers for the very large, very sparkly, oval engagement ring.
"Our co-owner @chautlui listened to their favourite song ‘Someone to Stay’ to help inspire elements of this once in a lifetime ring which is just like their love," the brand wrote in their congratulatory IG caption. "We are filled with so much joy for this special couple and wish them a lifetime full of love and adventures."
Clearly, his and Hayley's romance is serious (on top of being seriously adorable). But before you start Googling wedding info, you're probably wondering who exactly is Hayley—and how did she dance her way into Derek's heart?
Here’s everything you need to know about Derek Hough's soon-to-be-mrs, Hayley.
They met on Dancing With The Stars.
ICYMI, 37-year-old Derek was a pro dancer on DWTS for years before stepping behind the desk and taking on judging duties. That's where he met Hayley, a troupe dancer with the show. The two even danced to Ed Sheeran’s "Thinking Out Loud" on DWTS Live in 2015—plus, they treated DWTS viewers to a special performance during season 29.
Hayley also shared a #tbt Instagram post in May 2017 that showed her and Derek onstage, looking all steamy together. "Can’t believe this was 3 years ago," she wrote. So clearly, they’ve had chemistry for eons.
It’s hard to say exactly when they started dating.
Despite all those fireworks, the two didn’t actually start dating until 2016, according to Closer Weekly. But others say they started dating as early as 2015 (which, tbh, does make sense with Hayley's Insta).
But now, they can't get enough of each other—literally.
The couple quarantined together in Los Angeles, where they made allllll the TikTok videos to keep themselves busy (see: Derek's acoustic piano performances). They even made lovey-dovey ~content~ during an afternoon in the pool.
Back in March 2020, they went all out and made a "Flip the Switch" video, and even released a behind-the-scenes look at Derek's first experience with lipstick.
They even found themselves doing the Chubby Bunny marshmallow challenge "out of pure boredom."
They recently did not one, but two Disney singalongs.
The couple played Belle and Lumiere and sang "Be Our Guest" during the first Disney Family Singalong, the COVID-19 special produced by ABC and hosted by Ryan Seacrest in April. For the second Disney special, they sang—and choreographed an intense dance routine—to "Step in Time" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins.
Hayley's in touch with her mystical side.
During quarantine, she's been pulling out her tarot cards and journaling almost every night. She even explained on IG that one of her favorite things about staying home has been her almost nightly "moon deck ritual."
She's also tapping into her musical abilities.
In a recent Instagram post, Derek showed off Hayley's skills on the bass guitar: "Ladies and gentlemen for tonight’s performance the Bass will be played by @hayley.erbert 🎸🎼😂," he captioned the vid.
"I am 95% positive those are the actual chords.. 😂," she responded in the comments. We love a multitalented couple!
Derek and sister Julianne helped launch Hayley’s career.
Hayley was hired to go on a Move Live tour with Derek and Julianne Hough in 2014. And while she was performing, she caught the eye of a producer for DWTS who recruited her for the reality competition show, Heavy reported.
Hayley is a huge fan of a certain Canadian singer.
Sorry, Beliebers, but it's not Justin. Last year, Hayley admitted on Instagram that she’s obsessed with Celine Dion, sharing this hilarious video of herself and Derek rocking out to "It’s All Coming Back to Me." If that isn’t true love…
And, Hayley finally got to meet her idol in September. Derek posted the video evidence, complete with a mini-performance—and it. Is. Everything.
She's also a Libra.
Born on October 11, Hayley's a total Libra. And since Derek's birthday is May 17, that makes him a Taurus. While their zodiac signs aren't perfectly compatible, Libras and Tauruses are the best match in the bedroom.
Not that it really matters—Derek loves Hayley no matter what. In a sweet birthday Insta, he wrote, "Happy birthday to my love. You fill my heart with so much joy. I love our crazy adventures together or just sitting on the couch with our bodies entangled watching a movie." Awwww.
They support each other's work.
Amid Derek's DWTS hiatus, he was "still paying close attention" to the show to support Hayley. Plus, Hayley's also attended some World of Dance tapings to support him, according to ET.
And then Derek shared this…
'Nuff said, right?
And they're pretty adventurous.
As if being professional dancers wasn't exciting enough, Derek and Hayley also went swimming with dolphins together in early September. "Magical experience swimming with these beautiful animals🐬," Derek captioned the video on Instagram:
"Still feels like a dream 😍🐬," Hayley commented.
But Hayley takes the lead in the kitchen.
Derek's Instagram is filled with videos of Hayley cooking (most likely ridiculously nutritious meals to fuel all that dancing). In one particularly sweet vid, he serenaded Hayley with "Shallow" from A Star Is Born while she was busy in the kitchen:
And then there's this:
Last season, Hayley joined Derek for a special live DWTS dance.
Special performances usually happen every week on DWTS. But, during the global pandemic, the show scaled-down and eliminated group dances. So, yeah, Derek and Hayley's performance was a BFD—especially since Derek hadn't danced on the show since 2017.
And no, he wasn't planning to propose live on national television. Derek confirmed it when asked on Youtube. "That's not us," Hayley added.
People really, really were rooting for them to get engaged.
Like, a lot. Derek was not considering an on-show proposal, but marriage has been on his mind. "I don't know timelines, I just know shapes," he told Entertainment Tonight in October 2020.
After Julianne's wedding in 2017, E! asked Derek if he might be next. "It's not something we really talk about so much right now," he said. "It was a wonderful week to be with [Hayley] and experience love." Still, he added, "I don't want to be an old grandpa when I start having kids... After that wedding, I'm like, ‘Who knows?' You feel the love."
Ryan Seacrest also straight-up asked Derek in July 2018 if he thinks about getting engaged, and Derek had this to say: "Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes. But you know what’s funny? There’s so many people getting engaged and married in my circle [right now], and I’m just letting them enjoy that, so my time will come. We’ll see when it happens."
Oh, and J.Lo's apparently been wondering when he's gonna pop the question, too.
On the set of World of Dance, Derek made a "dad joke," and J.Lo told him she’d thought he’d be a good dad someday. "And then she said, 'So, why aren’t you [a dad]? And why aren’t you married?' I’m like, 'Oh god!'" he recalled in the above video.
Then, she apparently asked Derek, "Well, do you want to get married?" And he said, "Well, yeah, I think I do." To which she responded (in classic J.Lo no BS fashion), "Oh, you think you do? You’re one of those?" Derek explained, "I was like, 'Well, hold on! Let me finish…'
Okay, Derek, imma let you finish, but only if you keep posting more adorable Instagrams of Hayley in the meantime. Speaking of which...
They’re so in love, it’s ridiculous.
Derek has repeatedly said on Instagram how much he loves his new fiancée. You can tune into their "Dayley Life" on Youtube to see all of their adorable antics.
Congrats to the happy couple!
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