‘Sexiest Man’ was bullied as a child

Derek Hough of "Dancing with the Stars" is one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" now. But when he was a 10-year-old in Utah, kids bullied him for being a dancer.

"I would get in fights. I broke some kid's nose. Well, he punched me first," says Hough, who appears Wednesday at the World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at the Palms.

Hough, 26, remembers that particular fight well.

"He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around. And he punched me," he says.

"My nose was bleeding all over the place. All this blood filled up in my hand. I turned around and threw all this blood in this kid's face. Then I started getting on him and I broke his nose."

Hough was expelled, but the bully wasn't. Hough's parents were supportive.

"My mom was like, 'Damn right, you fight back if somebody touches you.' "

His dad took a different approach and advised him to "just work it out."

"And that's how I am in general -- I'm a defuser of a situation," Hough says.

Occasionally, young Hough had to flee swarms of bullies.

"There were a few times when there were six of these guys. I was like, 'Yeah, I think I'll run.' "

Soon after, his parents divorced. Hough then moved to London, where he transformed from victim to school hero.

"It was funny, because I went from being bullied in school (in Utah) to moving to England and being one of the more popular kids BECAUSE I did dance."

His mom, meanwhile, moved to Vegas, when his dancing and singing sister Julianne started attending Las Vegas Academy.

Recently, Derek got back into fighting, but in a controlled way. He's training in mixed martial arts with muay Thai fighter Toby "Tigerheart" Grear.

Hough isn't planning to fight for money. He's just a huge fan of MMA passion and dedication.

"It's one of the rawest forms of sport. You can't get any more intense than that."

Because he's a dancer and choreographer, he's quickly learning combinations and grappling, Hough says.

I reminded him that he probably shouldn't get his face roughed up, since he is one of People's " Sexiest M en Alive." He laughed.

"My trainer also trains Mark Ballas," Hough's lifelong friend on "Dancing," he says.

Grear "was really doing a number on him one day, and I was like, 'I don't know if I really want to be tagged that hard.'

"Every once in a while, he'll tag me with a kidney shot, and I'm like, 'Oof,' " he says and laughs again.

Next Monday, Hough is filling Regis Philbin's vacated chair for one episode of "Live with Kelly."

And on Wednesday, he joins "Dancing" comrade Cheryl Burke as one of many presenters at Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at the Palms ($71-$91).

Also scheduled for the late-afternoon red carpet: Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Dominick Cruz, host Chael Sonnen, Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir and other fighters; Frankie Muniz; Jared Watson of The Dirty Heads; plus ring girls and comic Steve Rannazzisi (who performs Thursday-Saturday at the Palms' Playboy Comedy Lounge).

By the way, Hough's dad was head of the Republican Party in Utah for eight years. But Hough's goals are to expand into Broadway, do more choreography and maybe direct. He has no inclination whatsoever to govern.

"I remember growing up, for my birthday for eight years, we went to the Republican convention, because it fell on that day," he says. "So I have zero interest in politics -- I think because my dad is very into politics."

Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.