Hayley Erbert Celebrates Husband Derek Hough's 40th Birthday by Listing 20 Things She Loves About Him

Hayley Erbert is celebrating Derek Hough’s birthday with a bang!

In honor of her husband's 40th birthday on Saturday, May 17, Erbert decided to list 20 reasons why she loves the Dancing with the Stars judge — while joking that she was constrained by Instagram’s 20-media limit.

“Happy 40th Birthday to my favorite person ever!” Erbert, 30, wrote in the post's caption. “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. 🥰 Today, I wanted to do a photo dump/list of 40 reasons why I love you but Instagram will only allow 20, so that’ll have to do.”

She shared various photos and videos of the couple's time together over the years, including cuddling with their pets, dancing — both on land and underwater — and going on adventures. She also showed sweet moments between the pair, such as a shot of Hough feeding her in a hospital bed, seemingly following her medical emergency in December 2023.

Some of the things she listed that she loves about Hough include his “sense of adventure,” the way he “takes care” of her and their relationship — which she described as “what I always dreamed of.” She also noted that she loves that he brought his dog Romie into her life and that he said “yes” to adding four more pets to their family.

Erbert also praised Hough for being “extremely thoughtful,” which was especially evident during their engagement and wedding as he made sure it was “what dreams are made of.” She highlighted his “talent,” “sweetness,” "weirdness" — and even his “gardening obsession.”  

“You reignited my spark for performing. I love you endlessly for that 🤍,” the professional dancer wrote, adding, “You always give your everything when you are performing. You care so deeply about people, you want to give them your all…”

“I love your heart. Your love for our babies makes my heart explode!“ Erbert continued. “I can’t imagine my life without you… 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 🤯.”

Erbert said she could “go on and on,” but wanted to send a “cheers” to Hough for “40 years of life.”

“To all the laughter, the lessons, the milestones, and the love that just keeps deepening… Whatever it brings, wherever it leads us, I’m excited to be right by your side. Always and forever,” she concluded her sweet post.

Hough celebrated a new decade of his life in his own way on Instagram, sharing a mirror selfie showing off his dancer’s abs and nodding to a years-old joke between himself and Erbert.

“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,’ ” he wrote.