Derek Hough Opens Up About Childhood Bullying: “They would hang me up in a tree by my ankles”

“Dancing with the Stars” judge and Emmy-winning choreographer Derek Hough is speaking candidly about the severe bullying and abuse he says he endured as a child, revealing that the experiences left him living in fear and suffering from night terrors.

During a recent appearance on The Bossticks podcast, Hough, 41, described what he called far more than ordinary childhood bullying. Recalling his upbringing in the Salt Lake City area, he said neighborhood kids would torment him because he was different and passionate about dance.

“Bullying is kind of too nice of a word,” Hough said. “They would hang me up in a tree by my ankles and put a gun to my head and spit on me or hogtie me in a field.”

The abuse had lasting emotional consequences. Hough revealed that he experienced severe anxiety as a child, saying, “I was scared. I would have night terrors and I would wet the bed.” He added, “I was a scared kid, I was a terrified kid. Scared of the dark, scared of my shadow, just scared and constantly on edge.”

According to Hough, the torment extended beyond his neighborhood and into school. He described himself as an awkward child who struggled to fit in socially and said his interest in dance often made him a target.

“I was always on the outside just trying to fit in,” he recalled. “Being a dancer didn’t help. I would get the crap beaten out of me.”

Hough recounted one incident in which another student punched him in the face. After fighting back, he said he was expelled from school. He also described being attacked by a group of boys after a girl expressed interest in him when they were around 10 or 11 years old.

The dancer said his life changed dramatically when he moved to London at age 12 to train with professional dance coaches. What was initially intended as a short stay became a decade-long period of intensive dance training.

“It was like I had clarity, and clarity is power,” Hough said, explaining that for the first time he felt safe and focused on a clear goal.

Biographical records confirm that Hough moved to London as a pre-teen to study dance at the Italia Conti Academy and train under renowned dance coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas, a move that would eventually launch his professional career.

Reflecting on his journey, Hough said that seeing dance become more widely respected has special meaning because of the ridicule he experienced growing up. He credited the television show “Dancing with the Stars” with helping elevate public perceptions of dancers.

According to Hough, dance is now increasingly recognized as a legitimate athletic and artistic discipline rather than something to be mocked.