Hayley Erbert counted down the top 20 things she loves about husband Derek Hough in honor of his 40th birthday.
“Happy 40th Birthday to my favorite person ever,” Erbert, 30, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, May 17. “This world has been blessed for 4 decades with your presence and I’m lucky to have had you in my life for one of those.”
Erbert noted the special significance of the Dancing With The Stars pro’s birthday by listing some of her husband’s greatest qualities. (She wrote that she wanted to make a Top 40 countdown but “Instagram will only allow 20, so that’ll have to do.”)
At the top of the list were Hough’s “sense of adventure” and “sweetness,” as well his “constant” energy and being “extremely thoughtful.”
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“Your talent is out of this world. You are a true creative genius,” she wrote. “You reignited my spark for performing. I love you endlessly for that.”
Erbert shared some of Hough’s quirkier habits too, like his “impulse to sign [his] name/initials everywhere.”
“It’s weird but it’s cute,” she quipped. “You are a true weirdo 
And you make me laugh every day.”
More seriously, Erbert thanked her spouse for his ability to “find the light in every moment, even when it’s not so great” and praised his “love for our babies [pets].”
“Thank you for always choosing me, even when I might not deserve it in the past 10 years. Also yes, it has been 10 years,” she concluded. “I love you so much, I could go on and on. Cheers to 40 years of life! To all the laughter, the lessons, the milestones, and the love that just keeps deepening. And here’s to the next decade! Whatever it brings, wherever it leads us, I’m excited to be right by your side. Always and forever.”
Hough was clearly touched as he replied to the post to thank his “beautiful warrior wife.” Many of the couple’s friends followed up with birthday messages of their own for Hough.
“Ahhhh happy birthdayyyy,” former Modern Family star Sarah Hyland wrote to Hough.
Hough’s fellow Dancing With The Stars pro Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy was a bit saltier in his reply to the birthday message, branding his longtime friend a “young ass.” (Chmerkovskiy turned 39 in March.)
On his own Instagram page, Hough revealed on Saturday that he’d been bracing Erbert for his milestone 40th birthday for the past few years.
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He joked, “For the past 5 years, I’ve been looking in the bathroom mirror and telling @hayley.erbert , ‘Not bad for 40!’ She’d always laugh and remind me, ‘You’re not 40 yet, you can’t say that.’ Well, today’s the day I can officially say it: ‘Hey, not bad for 40.’”
Hough was by his wife’s side when she suffered a near-fatal cranial hematoma while waiting to go on stage at the couple’s “Symphony of Dance” Tour in Washington D.C. in December 2023. The DWTS pro credited Erbert and his sister Julianne Hough with staying positive throughout the recovery process, which in turn gave him the strength to support his spouse.
“I remember calling Julianne because I was hysterical [as Hayley had surgery], and she kind of calmed me down, and she goes, ‘You need to talk to her,’” Derek recalled while fighting back tears. “She said, ‘Put on something that’s soothing and beautiful and just talk to her while she’s in surgery.’ And that was the only moment I felt a sense of control. I was like, ‘OK, I’m here with you.’”
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Hayley added. “Obviously having him by my side, and our family and our friends [got me through it]. I remember Derek said [to me], ‘Honey, there are so many people thinking about you. There’s so many people sending you love and prayers.’
“That was actually the first time that I started crying,” she recalled. “I remember just bawling my eyes out and saying, ‘You didn’t even have to tell me that. I can feel it.’ I felt this sense of overwhelming love and light; it was one of the most spiritual experiences I’ve ever had. It was beautiful, and I believe that’s really what carried me through.”
The couple tied the knot in August 2023 after eight years together. They met when Hayley joined Derek and Julianne on their “Move Live” Tour in 2014.
