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Julianne Hough Shares How She Supported Derek Hough and His Wife Hayley Erbert Amid Health Scare

Julianne Hough shared insight into how she helped Derek Hough after his wife Hayley Erbert underwent emergency skull surgery in December.

By Alyssa Morin Mar 05, 2024 12:52 AMTags
Watch: Julianne Hough Speaks Out After Derek's Wife's Surgery

They say you can't help others if you don't help yourself.

And it's a phrase that encapsulates how Julianne Hough supported her brother Derek Hough when his wife Hayley Erbert underwent emergency skull surgery in December.

"The more you can trust yourself and know you're in a secure place, then you can have the capacity for others," Julianne exclusively told E! News at the grand opening of her Kinrgy studio with Xponential Fitness in West Hollywood. "With their situation, being able to be a very stable force was needed—and I think appreciated because I could get the things done that they weren't thinking about."

The Dancing With the Stars host explained that she couldn't have been an anchor for her family without laying the groundwork first.

"We only have ourselves at the end of the day," the 35-year-old expressed, "and the more you can connect to yourself, the more you can relate and have compassion and empathy for the people around you."

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So, how does Julianne practice self-care? "For me, working out and Kinrgy are about finding strength and inner peace," she shared. "No matter the hurricane, I can be in the eye of the storm, and handle anything."

Julianne Hough / Instagram

In fact, that mindset is what drives her fitness platform.

"This whole concept came from my own transformation that I went through," she revealed. "I've tried every modality there is under the planet, and to be able to find movement, breathwork and visualization—that trifecta is almost like a Tesla Supercharger. You can get into a flow state from each one of those things, but when you combine all three, it's powerful."

Courtesy of Kinrgy

But nothing is as powerful as family. Last year, Julianne rallied around her sister-in-law after she underwent an emergency craniectomy.

"Please pray," the Footloose actress wrote on Instagram Dec. 7, "and send all your love, healing and light to Hayley and Derek."

Two months later, Hayley shared an update on her health. 

"In the beginning of December, I had an emergency craniotomy. Then, a couple of weeks later, I had a cranioplasty," Hayley shared in a Feb. 5 Instagram. "To this day, I still have really good days and I have really bad days—emotionally and physically sometimes—but I'm doing so much better every single day."

The 29-year-old received an outpouring of support from family, friends and fans alike, which has gotten her through her recovery.

"It's what helped me heal," Hayley said. "It's what helped me stay positive throughout the entire experience." 

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