Derek Hough shared he remembered wife Hayley Erbert’s health struggles while watching Celine Dion’s documentary I Am: Celine Dion via an Instagram Reel posted on Thursday, June 27.
“A very difficult scene was seeing one of Celine’s SPS seizures play out in real time. It was so hard to watch seeing her in pain like that. It also reminded me of Hayley’s seizure on the side of the stage a few months ago. I could barely re-watch,” the 39-year-old wrote.
Haley had experienced a blood vessel burst back in December 2023 where she was rushed into a craniectomy. Later on, the dancer was diagnosed with cranial hematoma. During this difficult time she was asked to refrain from dancing until she was able to resume back in April.
Just like the 29-year-old, Celine also is unable to perform due to her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome. This disease has led to the 56-year-old to have seizures and feeling like she has no control over her body.
After experiencing a seizure in the documentary, she asked the doctor “Well, what am I gonna do?… If I can’t get stimulated by what I love, and then I’m gonna go onstage and, like, you’re gonna put the pulse oximeter on me and you’re gonna turn me on my back?”
She confessed “It’s not hard to do a show, you know? I miss it so much, the people, I miss them. If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. But I won’t stop.”
Seeing the rough road the “My Heart Will Go On” hitmaker went through allowed the Dancing With the Stars judge to voice the great artist she is, “Watched Celine Dion’s new documentary, “I Am Celine,” last night…We were lucky enough to meet her a couple of years ago, even sing and dance with her a little… The documentary was incredibly powerful, showing Celine’s struggles with SPS but also her quirky and fun side,” Derek noted.
He concluded his message with, “Celine is an absolute legend, with a unique and one in a billion voice. We’re so blessed to witness her talent in our lifetime. I pray she heals and returns to the stage she loves so much.”