Beneath the glittering mirror balls and flawless choreography, Derek and Julianne Hough’s path to becoming two of the most celebrated dancers in the world was paved with heartache, grit, and years spent far from home. In a rare and deeply personal conversation, the sibling duo revealed how a fractured family and early separation from their parents forged their determination — turning hardship into artistry, and pain into power.
Long before they were household names on Dancing with the Stars, the Houghs were just kids from Utah navigating their parents’ divorce. At just 13 and 10 years old, Derek and Julianne left their quiet home — and their three older sisters — to move across the Atlantic. Their destination was the famed Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, where they would train in ballroom under the guidance of renowned coaches Shirley and Corky Ballas.
The arrangement meant moving in with the Ballas family, whose son Mark would also go on to become a DWTS pro. It also meant growing up almost overnight. “We’d leave the house every morning at 6:45 and take the subway on our own to school,” Derek recalled. For Julianne, the challenges hit early. “One of my first days, I got off at the wrong station,” she said. “I just stood there thinking, ‘Where am I?’”
For Julianne, the mature and often harsh world of competitive ballroom was especially daunting. In past interviews, she’s shared how adults in the industry took advantage of her vulnerability. “I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer,” she told Cosmopolitan. “I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life. But my heart was the same — I was still just an innocent little girl.”
Those years demanded not only skill but resilience. With their parents an ocean away, Derek and Julianne relied on each other — and on their love for dance — to push through homesickness and pressure. “People ask, ‘How could your parents let you go?’” Derek said. “But they saw an incredible opportunity. That is the reason we’re here today.”
It’s a perspective that’s stayed with them. Both credit that early sacrifice for giving them not only world-class training but the emotional toughness to thrive in an industry that demands perfection. The loneliness and challenges, they say, became the fuel for their artistry.
Now, decades later, Derek and Julianne are more than just DWTS icons. They’re headlining sold-out shows across the country with their Move Live on Tour production — a celebration not just of dance, but of the perseverance that’s defined their journey. Each performance is, in its own way, a testament to the little boy and girl who once boarded the London Underground alone, chasing a dream big enough to carry them through the pain.
And while the spotlights and standing ovations may seem worlds away from those early mornings in London, the Houghs haven’t forgotten what got them here. As Derek put it, “We love what we do. But we’ll never forget the sacrifices it took to get here — and the fact that we made it together.”
