Derek Hough Reacts to Fan Theory That He's Proposing to Hayley Erbert on 'DWTS' (Exclusive)

When Derek Hough revealed earlier this month that he'd be performing on Dancing With the Stars with his girlfriend, Hayley Erbert, fans on social media couldn't seem to help themselves from asking, "Is he going to propose?"

It's fair to say that the two have been together for a while now, and it wouldn't be the first time a proposal went down in the ballroom (remember when Sasha Farber popped the question to Emma Slater in 2016?). But knowing Derek, who has typically kept the details of his romantic life private in the past, is a live TV engagement really up his alley?

Obviously, we had to go straight to the source for some answers. While speaking with ET via Zoom on Friday, Derek revealed whether fans can expect him to get down on one knee during Top 11 Night.

"I'm just going to be straight up, that's not happening," Derek, 35, told ET's Lauren Zima. "Just because, that's just not my style I don't think, you know?"

"Even though on [our] YouTube we said, 'Hey, if we get 500,000 subscribers then we'll do it.' Of course that was a joke, but also I was like, it's a joke, but if it happens...," he continued, laughing. "I'm just kidding!"

Derek and Hayley, who started dating in 2015, have started to give fans more of a glimpse into their relationship in recent years. In the latest episode of their YouTube channel, for example, Derek went so far as to reveal that he's actually been ring shopping. "I don't know timelines, I just know shapes," he joked to ET, when pressed on when we can expect an actual proposal.

As for why Derek finally decided to allow his relationship with the former DWTS troupe member to become more public? The six-time mirrorball champion says keeping everything so secretive was getting "exhausting."

"It's just tiring. It was liberating, honestly, just being like, 'Hey, this is our relationship. This is cool. This is what it is and it's great,'" he shared. "I think I just kind of got almost conditioned to feel or believe that I have to hide everything. When in reality I was just like, 'You know what? There's a freedom to just being open about it.'"

"It's been wonderful and it's brought us closer together in certain things," he added. "It just feels good. It feels light."

During Monday's DWTS, Derek and Hayley will dance a special Paso Doble to "Uccen" by Taalbi Brothers. It will mark the first time Derek has performed on the show since 2017.

"It worked out well because, obviously, we're dancers. And my girl, she's an extraordinary dancer. So it was a perfect excuse to be able to dance together on the show," he explained. "I'm just going to really just enjoy the whole experience."

"Someone said, 'Are you nervous about the expectations people might have for you, or that you might have for yourself?' And it's a sort of great expression -- of trading your expectation for appreciation," he continued. "That's how I feel. I just feel appreciative of being a part of this beautiful show once again and to have the opportunity to dance. I feel like that's the part that I'm taking with this one and I'm looking forward to it."

Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. In the meantime, watch the video below to hear more on what to expect from the highly anticipated routine. And for more with Derek, tune into Entertainment Tonight on Monday!

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