Not holding back. Julianne Hough has been candid about working on her happiness following her split from husband Brooks Laich.
Hough and Laich tied the knot in July 2017 after four years of dating. The former couple sparked breakup speculation in 2020 when they spent their quarantine apart during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the former hockey player hinted at starting a “new stage” of his life.
“I feel like a lot of my life has been ‘bound’ to certain identities that have come through the sport I spent my life playing. Canadian, male, hockey player, disciplined, competitive, etc…,” he wrote via Instagram on January 2020. “And though I am all of those things, they do not define me, and I am not bound by them. In 2020 I look forward to releasing old identities, and stepping into a new chapter in my life.”
Later that year, the pair officially announced that they had called it quits after nearly three years of marriage. “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” they said in a joint statement in May 2020. “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.”
Hough and Laich “argued a lot” leading up to their split, a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “[They] just had different viewpoints on important issues. [They were] trying to find themselves separate from one another and deal with any issues they’ve faced that were exasperated while married,” the insider noted.
While working through her separation, Hough was spotted spending time with Ben Barnes. One year after filing for divorce, the Dancing With the Stars alum locked lips with model Charlie Wilson, sparking rumors that the duo were more than friends.
Laich, for his part, went Instagram official with Icelandic athlete Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir in August 2021.
In February 2022, Us confirmed that Hough and Lauch reached an agreement about the terms of their divorce. “The parties have entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage or domestic partnership rights, including support, the original of which is being or has been submitted to the court,” the court documents stated.
Scroll down for everything Hough has said about life after divorce: