Derek Bruce Hough is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer.
51 Facts About Derek Hough
2.
From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition series Dancing with the Stars, winning the show a record-breaking six times with his celebrity partners.
3.
Derek Hough later became a judge on the series beginning with its 29th season.
4.
Derek Hough has appeared as an actor on stage, appearing at the West End premiere of Footloose: The Musical at the Novello Theatre and as well as the 2015 New York Spring Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
5.
From 2017 to 2020, Derek Hough served as a judge on the NBC dance competition series World of Dance.
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Derek Hough grew up the fourth of five children in a Latter-day Saint family in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City.
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Derek Hough is the son of Marianne and Bruce Hough, who was twice chairman of the Utah Republican Party, and has four sisters, Sharee, Marabeth, Katherine, and Julianne.
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Derek Hough is the second cousin of musicians Riker, Rydel, Rocky, Ryland Lynch and Ross Lynch from R5; their maternal grandmothers are sisters.
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When Derek Hough was 12, his divorcing parents sent him to London to live and study with dance coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas.
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Originally intending to stay for three months, Derek Hough remained in London for ten years.
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Derek Hough subsequently taught at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.
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Derek Hough won the WDSF World Latin Championship in 2002, and the Blackpool U-21 Latin title with Aneta Piotrowska in 2003.
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Derek Hough has won the LA Outstanding Dancer of the Year and New York Dance Alliance Outstanding Dance awards.
14.
Derek Hough, who was nominated for Dancing with the Stars, was part of that number, along with the other nominees.
15.
On September 12,2015, Derek Hough won his second Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, alongside Julianne Derek Hough and Tessandra Chavez.
16.
In 2013, Derek Hough worked with world champion ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White on a number for their upcoming 2014 Sochi winter Olympics short dance program that had to contain quickstep and foxtrot rhythms.
17.
Derek Hough made his first appearance on Dancing with the Stars in season four as a guest instructor with Julianne and Apolo Anton Ohno.
18.
Derek Hough then joined the cast of professional instructors in season five and was paired with Jennie Garth.
19.
For season six, Derek Hough was paired with actress Shannon Elizabeth.
20.
In rehearsal on October 4,2008, Derek Hough tripped and fell, hitting his head on the floor and momentarily blacked out.
21.
Derek Hough was sent to the hospital, but sustained no injuries.
22.
For season eight, Derek Hough was paired with rapper Lil' Kim.
23.
For season nine, Derek Hough was partnered with model Joanna Krupa.
24.
For season ten, Derek Hough was partnered with Nicole Scherzinger, the lead singer from the singing group The Pussycat Dolls and former member of Eden's Crush.
25.
For season eleven, Derek Hough won for the third time with actress Jennifer Grey, known for her film roles on Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, on November 23,2010.
26.
Derek Hough did not participate in season 12 in order to be a part of the film COBU 3D.
27.
For season 14, Derek Hough partnered with television personality Maria Menounos.
28.
For season 15, Derek Hough was paired with season eight champion, Shawn Johnson.
29.
On July 27,2012, Derek Hough announced that season 15 would be his last.
30.
Derek Hough was partnered with country singer and former American Idol contestant, Kellie Pickler.
31.
On May 21,2013, Pickler was crowned season 16 champion, marking the fourth time Derek Hough won the Mirror Ball trophy, and made him the only pro to have won four Mirror Balls.
32.
Riley was crowned season 17 champion, historically marking the fifth time Derek Hough has won the Mirror Ball trophy, and made him the only pro to have won five Mirror Balls.
33.
For season 18, Derek Hough was paired with paralympic snowboarder, Amy Purdy.
34.
On February 24,2015, Derek Hough was announced as one of the returning professional dancers on season 20 despite previously reporting he would not be taking part in this season.
35.
On September 8,2020, it was revealed, after much speculation, that Derek Hough would replace longtime DWTS judge Len Goodman.
36.
Derek Hough returned as a judge for its 30th and 31st seasons.
37.
In 2006, Derek Hough starred as Ren in the original cast production of Footloose: The Musical at the Novelo Theatre in London's West End, as well as on the 2006 UK national tour.
38.
Derek Hough made his Broadway debut on January 8,2010, starring with Kym Johnson and Mary Murphy in Burn the Floor for the final four performances of the show's Broadway run.
39.
On January 13,2015, it was announced that Derek Hough would appear in the New York Spring Spectacular, at Radio City Music Hall.
40.
Derek Hough made two cameo appearances; one in 2001 in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and one in 2012 in the movie Rock of Ages, where his sister Julianne was playing the female lead role.
41.
In 2011, Derek Hough took one season break from Dancing with the Stars to star in his first movie Make Your Move that premiered three years later, on March 31,2014, in Los Angeles.
42.
Derek Hough was one of Bruno Tonioli's panelists on BBC One's DanceX, the first episode of which aired on July 14,2007.
43.
Derek Hough went on to choreograph and perform in Cheryl Cole's "Parachute" music video, after being introduced to her by Tonioli.
44.
Derek Hough was a founding member of the Ballas Derek Hough Band and he shared lead vocals, played guitar and had several songwriting credits on the band's self-titled debut CD that was released by Hollywood Records in March 2009.
45.
Derek Hough directed Mark Ballas' music video for his song "Get My Name" that was released on MTV on May 14,2014.
46.
In 2016, Derek Hough appeared alongside Lindsey Stirling in the music video for The Arena which he choreographed.
47.
In 2017, Derek Hough participated in the celebrity edition of American Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day.
48.
In 2017, in an interview with Billboard, Derek Hough revealed that he is going to be performing on the alternative metal band Breaking Benjamin's upcoming album Ember, scheduled for a release in 2018.
49.
In September 2019, Derek Hough hosted an NBC special Return to Downton Abbey: A Grand Event.
50.
In November 2019, Derek Hough had emergency surgery to remove his appendix due to appendicitis; he published a video of himself dancing with Hayley Erbert post-surgery.
51.
Derek Hough is a three-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Choreography and has earned eight Emmy Award nominations in total for his work on Dancing with the Stars.