It feels like Hayley Erbert has lived ten lives in the span of one. Most people know her as the powerhouse dancer with the radiant smile on Dancing with the Stars, or perhaps more recently, as the woman who made a "miraculous" recovery after a terrifying medical emergency. But with all the headlines swirling around her marriage to Derek Hough and their new baby, one question keeps popping up in the search bars: how old is Hayley Erbert exactly?
She isn't just a "young dancer" anymore; she’s a woman who has navigated more in her late twenties and early thirties than many do in a lifetime.
The Numbers: How Old is Hayley Erbert Right Now?
Hayley Erbert was born on October 11, 1994. As of early 2026, she is 31 years old.
Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, she spent her childhood in the heart of the Midwest before the bright lights of Hollywood came calling. It’s wild to think that she’s only 31 when you look at her resume. She started dancing at age three—basically as soon as she could walk—and by the time she was a teenager, she was already a force to be reckoned with on the national stage.
Her age has often been a point of curiosity because she started her professional career so incredibly young. When she competed on Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance, she was just 18. Honestly, most 18-year-olds are worried about freshman finals, but Hayley was busy making it to the Top 3 females on one of the most grueling reality competitions on TV.
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A Timeline of the Big Milestones
To really get a sense of where she is now, you have to look at the timeline. It isn't just about a birth year; it’s about the "mileage" of her experiences.
- Age 18 (2013): The big breakout. SYTYCD put her on the map.
- Age 19 (2014): She meets her future husband, Derek Hough, when she’s hired for the MOVE Live on Tour.
- Age 20 (2015): She joins the Dancing with the Stars troupe, a role she’d hold for seven seasons.
- Age 28 (2023): She marries Derek Hough in a gorgeous redwood forest ceremony in August.
- Age 29 (December 2023): The health scare that stopped everything.
Why the Age Question Matters: The 2023 Health Crisis
The reason people are so invested in how old is Hayley Erbert often stems from the shock of her 2023 health crisis. When someone is in their late 20s, you don't expect to hear words like "emergency craniectomy."
In December 2023, while on the Symphony of Dance tour, Hayley became disoriented and was rushed to the hospital. She had suffered a cranial hematoma—a burst blood vessel in her brain. It was a life-or-death situation. Surgeons had to remove a portion of her skull to relieve the pressure.
Recovering from something that massive at 29 is a testament to her physical health and sheer will. By the time she hit her 30th birthday in 2024, she wasn't just celebrating another year; she was celebrating a second chance at life. She even posted about it, saying how special that milestone felt after nearly losing everything.
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Entering Her 30s: Motherhood and Miracles
Life looks very different for Hayley at 31 than it did even two years ago. On December 29, 2025, Hayley and Derek welcomed their first child, a daughter named Everley Capri Hough.
The couple has been incredibly open about the emotional weight of this new chapter. They actually revealed that they suffered a miscarriage in 2024, making Everley’s arrival even more of a "miracle" for the family.
It's sorta poetic, isn't it? She spent her 20s building a career and fighting for her life, and now she's spending the start of her 30s as a mother. Derek is about nine years older than her (he’s 40), and their partnership has clearly been the anchor through all the medical and personal storms.
What’s Next for Hayley?
You’d think after a brain surgery and a new baby, she’d take a permanent seat on the sidelines. Nope. Hayley is already planning to return to the stage. She and Derek are set to head back out for the Symphony of Dance: Encore tour in the summer of 2026.
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She has often said that dance was her way back to herself during recovery. It’s more than a job; it’s how she processes the world.
What you should take away from Hayley's story:
- Resilience has no age: Whether you're 18 or 31, the ability to bounce back from trauma is about mindset.
- Health is unpredictable: Her story is a reminder that even elite athletes aren't immune to sudden medical issues.
- Perspective changes everything: Turning 30 hit differently for her because she spent the end of her 20s just trying to survive.
If you’re following her journey, keep an eye on her social media for updates on the tour and life with baby Everley. She’s proven that age is just a number, but the experiences you pack into those years are what actually define you.
For those looking to keep up with her recovery or her upcoming tour dates, checking the official Symphony of Dance website or her Instagram is the best way to get the most current info.