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“Dancing with the Stars” alum Derek Hough and his wife return to the dance floor

“Dancing with the Stars” alum Derek Hough and his wife return to the dance floor

After a tumultuous year, “Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough and his wife Hayley Erbert have returned to the dance floor.

During the “Dedication” themed evening, the dance duo performed an emotional dance, almost a year after Erbert was hospitalized for emergency brain surgery.

“It's been a long year full of ups and downs,” Hough told Fox News Digital on the red carpet of “Dancing with the Stars.”

DEREK HOUGH'S WIFE undergoes emergency brain surgery after being diagnosed with a cranial hematoma

Derek Hough Hayley Erbert dances

“Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough and his wife Hayley Erbert returned to the dance floor nearly a year after Erbert was hospitalized for emergency brain surgery. (Getty Images)

“It was really special to be here in this ballroom tonight and … to be at a point where we never (thought) it would be possible to be in this room again and then here again to be. It's just been a remarkable, remarkable journey,” Hough said.

WATCH: 'DWTS' JUDGE DEREK HOUGH AND WIFE HAYLEY ERBERT CONCERN THEIR MAJORLY FATAL BRAIN SURGERY

Last December, Erbert, a professional dancer on “Dancing with the Stars,” became “disoriented” after a performance and had to be hospitalized. She was then diagnosed with a cranial hematoma due to a ruptured blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “An intracranial hematoma is a collection of blood in the skull. It is usually caused by a burst blood vessel in the brain.”

Derek Hough, Hayley Erbert

Derek Hough's wife needed a skull implant after being rushed to hospital for a “life-threatening” emergency. (Derek Hough/Instagram/Getty Images)

“The doctors told me she might not make it, but then they told me she definitely wouldn't be the same person. Either way I was basically told I lost her. And that was incredibly devastating,” Hough added.

“Then looking forward, being here, dancing with her…it's really, really a miracle, really.”

Erbert described her road to recovery after her traumatic surgery with Fox News Digital.

Erbert described her road to recovery after her traumatic surgery with Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)

“The doctors told me that…she might not make it…Then looking forward, being here, dancing with her…it's really, really a miracle, really.”

– Derek Hough

Hough and his professional dancer Julianne shared constant updates on Erbert's health via social media last year.

The surgery was performed to replace a large portion of her skull that was removed during her craniectomy, Hough revealed in an Instagram post at the time.

Erbert described her road to recovery after her traumatic surgery with Fox News Digital.

“I would say that just the first part of my recovery was the most difficult because… being told that I might not survive. I was told I might never be able to walk or dance again,” she explained.

“Dance has always been a part of my life since I was three years old…And to experience this is the worst thing because…this is literally a part of me being ripped out.”

The former “Dancing with the Stars” troupe member expressed her gratitude to be dancing again and called the experience “special.”

Dancing with the Stars “Dedication” night

Derek and Hayley celebrate their triumphant return to the ballroom with a moving number to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” by Benson Boone. (Getty Images)

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Hough and Erbert performed a sentimental ballroom routine to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” by artist Benson Boone.

The dancing couple married in August 2023 before embarking on their “Symphony of Dance” tour.

The couple began dating in 2015 after meeting on Dancing with the Stars. Hough proposed in Yosemite National Park in California in 2022.

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WATCH: 'DWTS' Alum MARK BALLAS REACTS TO DEREK HOUGH'S WIFE HAYLEY ERBERT'S BRAIN RESTORATION

“Dancing with the Stars” alum and guest judge Mark Ballas told Fox News Digital that he was one of the first calls Hough made when his wife was having surgery.

“It was one of the most intense phone conversations I’ve ever had,” Ballas said.

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“I was with him most of the time. My wife and I were on our hands and knees when we got the call, like we were hoping and praying for a miracle.”

On Tuesday night's episode, the show sent home Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader and his pro partner Gleb Savchenko.

The two have sparked romance rumors since the beginning of the season.

WATCH: 'DWTS' Contestant JENN TRAN EXPLAINS WHY SHE DEDICATES HER DANCE TO TAYLOR SWIFT

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Contestants prepare for a Disney-themed evening for the popular ballroom competition show.

“Dancing With the Stars” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. The show will be available to stream on Hulu the following day.

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