Julianne Hough shows off shorter hairdo

(CBS) "Footloose" star Julianne Hough has gotten rid of her long wavy hair, and is rocking a shorter and sweeter hairdo.

The actress and dancer surprised her fans when she debuted her new hairstyle at the 15th Annual Hollywood Film Awards Gala in Los Angeles on Oct. 24.

Pictures: "Footloose" then and now

People magazine revealed that the "Footloose" star had actually had her hair cut a few days before at Nine Zero One Salon in West Hollywood, Calif.

A witness told the magazine that Hough was all smiles, and she made the decision to preserve the health of her hair.

"Hough explained that she won't work again until the new year, so now is the perfect time to repair the damage to her hair from so much recent styling," the source said.

The dancer previously talked about her hair woes with Us magazine. "It costs a lot of money to get your hair done -- it's not cheap -- but you don't want to ruin it, and you want to go to the best person and the person who's going to keep it healthy," Hough said.