Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich: The Way They Were

Credit: Shutterstock (2); Courtesy Julianne Hough/Instagram; Shutterstock; Courtesy Julianne Hough/Instagram

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich: The Way They Were

Dancing through life! Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich only had eyes for each other from 2014 to 2020. The former Dancing With the Stars pro’s Curve costar Teddy Sears introduced the couple in December 2013, but the actor had been trying to set them up since long before that. “On set, apparently, he was talking with Julianne … and asked her if she’d been seeing anyone, and she said no or whatever, and I guess he was watching our hockey game at the time,” Laich recalled to the radio station 106.7 FM The Fan in 2014. “He always watches the game on Game Center on his iPad. I guess he just showed her the iPad and said, ‘Well, I’ve got a guy for you,’ or something.” At the time, the NHL player had never seen an episode of DWTS and Hough never watched a Washington Capitals game — “until she met Teddy,” Laich said with a laugh. The pair quickly hit it off, and Us Weekly confirmed in February 2014 that they were dating. They were engaged by August 2015 and married in July 2017. “Brooks is a huge support system for [Julianne],” a source told Us exclusively in April 2019. “He’s the kindest man and so patient with her. He always has an intense look of love when they’re together. He looks at her like she’s the only person in the room.” However, multiple sources told Us in January 2020 that Hough and Laich were having issues after two years of marriage. “Everyone knows something is up,” a source said at the time. In May 2020, Hough and Laich announced their split after nearly three years of marriage. Scroll down to see a comprehensive timeline of their relationship.

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December 2013

Sears introduced Hough to Laich in December 2013.

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February 2014

Multiple sources confirmed to Us in February 2014 that the pair were dating after they were spotted together at Disneyland. “It works out well,” a source said at the time. “They’re having fun.”

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February 2014

The athlete spoke about their relationship for the first time during an interview with 106.7 FM The Fan in February 2014. He called the dancer “a cool, cool gal … very loving, very giving.”

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August 2014

Hough, who previously dated Ryan Seacrest from 2010 to 2013, broke her silence on her romance with Laich in the August 2014 issue of Redbook. “Every [past] relationship, there was nothing wrong or bad, but there was nothing right,” she said. “Now I’m not holding anything back because I’d rather get my heart broken than never know what it is to be completely, madly in love. If I had been this open in my last relationship, who knows?”

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August 2015

The Footloose actress announced her engagement to Laich via Instagram in August 2015, writing, “We are overwhelmed with joy and excitement to share with you our recent engagement! #fiancé #love.”

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August 2015

The newly engaged couple were all smiles on the red carpet at the Television Academy’s Emmy Awards Choreographers Nominee Reception in Beverly Hills in August 2015.

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July 2017

Hough and Laich tied the knot in front of nearly 200 guests in July 2017 near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “I’m so grateful I get to spend forever with this incredibly kind, thoughtful, strong and adventurous man,” the bride later wrote on Instagram. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world to be your wife!”

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July 2017

The newlyweds honeymooned in Seychelles, an archipelago country in the Indian Ocean off East Africa. They documented the romantic vacation on their Instagram pages.

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June 2019

Laich told Us exclusively in June 2019 that Hough was “going through IVF” so that they could increase their odds of starting a family. “My wife and I want to have children in our future,” he said at the time.

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August 2019

The Emmy winner made headlines in August 2019 when she opened up about her sexuality. “I [told Brooks], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’ And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’” she revealed to Women’s Health. “I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you.’”

The following month, Laich told Us exclusively, “My wife, to her credit, is constantly evolving, challenging, growing. … She’s challenged me to grow in ways that I resist against and push against.”

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December 2019

The hockey player raised eyebrows in December 2019 when he shared an Instagram post about “becoming a better man.” In another post, he listed his goals for 2020, which included being more “present in my relationships” and learning “more about intimacy and my sexuality.” The next day, Hough cohosted NBC’s New Year’s Eve and did not wear her wedding ring, although Laich supported her at the event.

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January 2020

After Laich shared another cryptic Instagram post in January 2020 about “stepping into a new chapter,” a source told Us exclusively that the couple “were having problems” in their marriage.

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February 2020

After sharing several cryptic quotes about their marriage on social media, an insider told Us that the couple moved past their marital problems. “Brooks and Julianne are totally fine and are working through any issues they previously faced,” the source said at the time. “At the end of the day, they love each other and they are still together.”

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February 2020

Laich opened up about how his wife helped him to become more sexually open in a February 2020 episode of his "How Men Think" podcast. "A big part of my journey in 2020 is exploring my sexuality. And by that I don’t mean if I’m gay or straight," he explained. "I mean, in my sexual relationship, what is my sexuality and what am I craving, and what are my desires and what are my wife’s? How can we have this language to feed each other and get everything we want and be sexually expressed to the nth degree in everything.”

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March 2020

The duo revealed that they were social distancing together amid the coronavirus outbreak via Instagram. Laich shared that his quarantine goal was to cook "the breakfast of all time" for his wife. “You guys, I’m using this social distancing time to work on a magical skill. I’m getting better at cooking breakfast,” the former NHL player said at the time. “So today we have pancakes, we have smoked salmon, I’m going to make some scrambled eggs and some turkey bacon and some tea. And I already have the table set.”

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April 2020

Hough was spotted walking with actor Ben Barnes in April 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic while Laich quarantined in Idaho.

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April 2020

The ballroom dance professional used her Kinrgy fitness class to release "all the stagnant energy built up from what's going on personally and in the world" after a source revealed to Us that she and Laich were "not doing well" in their marriage. One day later, Hough shared a cryptic quote to her Instagram Story about staying true to herself no matter what. "Never betray yourself to be loyal to others," the quote read.

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April 2020

Laich shared that his sex drive was low while separated from Hough amid the coronavirus quarantine. "I’m in Idaho, my wife is in L.A., so not much of that [sex] going on here,” he explained on an April 2020 episode of his “How Men Think” podcast. “I would probably lose my sex drive when stress ramps up, that’s just what I feel in this situation.”

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May 2020

Nearly three years into their marriage, Hough and Laich decided to call it quits. “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” they said in a joint statement on May 29. “We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward.”

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June 2020

Laich hung out with Julianne's brother, Derek Hough, multiple times following their split. The athlete played ping pong in the garage with Derek, his girlfriend Hayley Erbert, and pals Cory Tran and Kristy Sowin. Laich later celebrated his birthday on June 23 with the group during a workout session.

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June 2020

A source exclusively told Us that Laich did not want to call it quits with Julianne. “Her actions are what caused her divorce with Brooks,” the insider said. “Brooks did not want a divorce, but he felt pushed toward it because of how Julianne was behaving. But Brooks is not the one who is bummed now.”

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June 2020

Julianne sought comfort with actor Ben Barnes amid her split from Laich, an insider told Us. “She had been spending a lot of time with Ben Barnes and has been leaning on him,” the source said. “She told Brooks it was nothing, but it’s not.”

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June 2020

The Grease: Live star battled a rough patch in the wake of her separation from Laich. "Julianne asked for a maple brown color for her hair and wanted a look that was muted to match with how she's feeling right now," a source told Us. "She doesn't want to be noticed or do press right now or get photographed. She's not in a good place. She wants people to look at her and feel empathetic toward her."

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November 2020

The Kinrgy creator filed for divorce from Laich five months after announcing their split in May — and two months after the pair sparked reconciliation speculation while spending time together in September. Hough submitted her paperwork to a Los Angeles court on November 2, filling for a dissolution of marriage, according to The Blast.

The same day, Laich opened up about learning to "honor" his emotions after years of trying to "stuff" them down. "I cry all the time and it's wonderful," he said on his "How Men Think" podcast, adding that he spends time expressing gratitude for both the highs and lows in his life each day. "I'm grateful for my dog, I'm grateful for this beautiful house and this beautiful bay on this lake, I'm grateful for the air in my lungs ... I also say I'm grateful for the blessings and the challenges in my life. I'm grateful that life isn't just easy."

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June 2022

Us confirmed that the twosome’s divorce was finalized nearly two years after they announced their split.