Derek Hough's wife Hayley Erbert shares 'new outlook on life' in emotional video after craniectomy

It's a new year, new haircut, and new outlook for Hayley Erbert.

In a tearful video posted to Instagram on Monday, Erbert sat down with her husband, Dancing With the Stars pro Derek Hough, to give an update on her health and "new outlook on life" after undergoing an emergency craniectomy in December.

"It's been wild going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows," said Hough, 38, less than six months after he and his wife tied the knot. "But I have to say, throughout this experience this woman has been unbelievable, and her perseverance and her acceptance of the whole situation, her strength, it's been remarkable to witness firsthand. She really is a miracle, and it's been miraculous and it's still a journey.”

"To this day, I still have really good days and I have really bad days — emotionally and physically sometimes — but I'm doing so much better every single day," added Erbert, 29. "Truly there is so much progress every day, and I'm so grateful for that."

The post marks the first time Erbert has opened up about the experience with fans on video. Hough previously shared updates on his wife's health and progress on social media, first to reveal that she had been diagnosed with an intracranial hematoma (a collection of blood in her skull) in early December and underwent an emergency craniectomy, and then to provide updates on her subsequent cranioplasty operation, which replaced the removed section, a few weeks later.

In her video, an emotional Erbert thanked everyone for their well wishes and thoughts over the past two months. "Thank you all so much for all of your messages, your love, your energy, your light, your prayers," she said. "Thank you guys for all of it because it means so much to me and to us as a family. And genuinely, I believe it’s what's gotten me through this a little bit faster, and it's what helped me heal. It's what helped me stay positive throughout the entire experience."

Erbert also took the opportunity to debut her new haircut, quipping, "It's a new year, it's a new haircut," while showing off her pixie cut. "A new haircut, a new scar, a new sac of fluid on the side of my face, which is supposed to eventually go away," Erbert continued. "A new skull. But also a new outlook on life. Life is so precious. Spend time with the ones you love. Hold them close because you never know what could happen."

The couple said they'd share further details about their journey when they're ready, but for now, Erbert said, "I am grateful to be alive and be here to tell my story." Watch the full video in the Instagram post above.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert celebrate Christmas after surgery: 'Treasure every moment'
• Derek Hough shares promising update on wife Hayley Erbert’s skull surgery
• Derek Hough thanks fans for prayers as wife Hayley Erbert undergoes skull surgery