Mauricio Umansky was spotted getting cozy with a mystery woman weeks after he made headlines for holding hands with Dancing With the Stars partner Emma Slater.
An eyewitness exclusively tells Us Weekly that Umansky, 53, was flirting with a blonde at Soho House Austin in the Texas capital on Saturday, November 11. “He was all over her,” the insider says. “There was no kissing, but they were getting very close.”
According to the source, Umansky and the mystery woman sat next to each other and were part of a larger group. “He was flirting with her and holding her hand at one point,” the witness adds. “They were whispering to each other. He had his arm behind her. They were definitely having fun together, and she was into it. They left together with the group.”
One day earlier, Umansky shared an Instagram photo of himself with Lauryn and Michael Bosstick, noting that he’d been in Austin to record an episode of The Skinny Confidential’s “Him & Her Show” podcast. “I just had so much fun recording for @tscpodcast with @laurynbosstick and @michaelbosstick,” Umansky captioned the snap. “We had a really great conversation.”
Umansky’s trip to Texas comes weeks after he and Slater, 34, denied rumors that they’re dating following Umansky’s separation from wife Kyle Richards. Umansky and Slater — who were partners on season 32 of DWTS before his October 31 elimination — were spotted holding hands while out to dinner in Beverly Hills last month.
According to Umansky, the PDA was purely platonic. “For full clarity we are not dating,” he said in an Instagram Story video on October 26. “We’ve been dancing together now for six weeks, four hours a day every single day.”
He went on to say that the duo went out for a meal after an “intense” and “emotional” week of rehearsals. “We were talking about the week during the dinner and when we came out of dinner we were recapping, and I reached out to grab Emma’s hand,” Umansky continued. “She grabbed my hand and then we walked to the cars, just recapping.”
Slater added that she and Umansky developed a “very special bond” while filming the ABC dance competition series together. “We [share] similar personalities,” she said in the video. “We’ve got a super supportive relationship. … We’re definitely there for each other and it’s beautiful. That’s a great thing.”
While Umansky claimed nothing romantic was happening between him and Slater, Richards said it was “very hard to see” the photos of the duo holding hands. “That hurt my feelings,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, said during an October 25 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
Us Weekly confirmed in July that Richards and Umansky separated after 27 years of marriage. The estranged couple share daughters Alexia, 27, Sophia, 23, and Portia, 15. Richards previously welcomed daughter Farrah, 35, during her marriage to first husband Guraish Aldjufrie.
Earlier this month, an insider told Us that neither Richards nor Umansky have hired lawyers or officially filed for divorce.
“While they are separated, they want to keep their lives as normal as possible for the kids,” the source explained. “When and if they do decide to file, neither of them will be bitter or coming after the other. … Neither of them wants a long and vengeful divorce.”
Days earlier, Richards broke down on stage during the RHOBH panel at BravoCon as she discussed the split.
“I have so many people that don’t know us weighing in on our relationship and people saying things like, ‘Don’t do this, You’re going to regret it,’” Richards told Us on the red carpet at the convention. “I’m like, ‘Do you think I wanted this? Do you think that this was my fairy tale?’ Think about what you’re saying to me.”
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
