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Emma Slater, Trevor Donovan Expand on Relationship After Alfonso Ribeiro Asks If Their ‘DWTS’ Chemistry Is ‘Real’ or ‘Acting’ (Exclusive)

It was hard to deny the connection between Emma Slater and Trevor Donovan on the Monday, September 26, episode of Dancing With the Stars — and Alfonso Ribeiro wasn’t afraid to ask the season 31 duo about their chemistry.

Related: Couple Alert! Every 'DWTS' Pro and Celeb Who Found Lasting Love on the Show

“I gotta know — are those your acting skills or was that real?” the cohost asked a shocked Slater, 33, and the 90210 alum, 43, after their Rumba to Elvis’ “Always on My Mind.”

Emma Slater, Trevor Donovan React to Question About Their 'Real' Chemistry
Emma Slater and Trevor Donovan. ABC/Andrew Eccles

“If you’re really doing a good job acting, it all comes from the truth so there’s something real in every performance,” Donovan replied on the Disney+ show before the judges revealed the pair earned a 30/40.

During their post-show interview, Slater told Us Weekly that she was “so glad” the Hallmark Channel star was the one to answer Ribeiro.

Related: Dancing With the Stars' Hottest Hookups

“I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘That question! Like, wow, just out the blue.’ But I think Trevor’s right, like, and we’ve spoken about this too — and by the way, we genuinely get on really well, like, rehearsals go so quick,” the professional dancer explained. “We really do get on and have great chemistry, which made this dance so much easier. But then when Alfonso asked that question, I was so glad you answered because I was like, ‘I can’t.’”

The actor added that his answer was “100 percent truthful.”

“A lot of the movies I do, it’s [the] romantic lead and you have at least a couple scenes that are intimate scenes,” Donovan said. “And you’re with someone who [could] very well be married or that you just met or you’re not in a relationship and so you have to create that and luckily, we’ve had a few weeks of getting to know each other to become friends and break down that wall and be comfortable with it. … I just answered as truthfully as I could, and it is the truth.”

Slater went on to note that people “expect passion” when it comes to the rumba.

Related: Emma Slater and Sasha Farber’s Relationship Timeline

“People expect that steam, and you really have to tell a story. We had the best song in my opinion. I love this version of ‘Always on my Mind,’ and I honestly believe in Trevor. I believe in his dance ability,” she gushed. “I know we have this great connection, this great chemistry. And so I really fought hard to achieve the environment for us to just be ourselves and be expressive and we brought the steam, which is, which is great. I think it was a dance that really needed it and it felt really good in the moment.”

While Donovan has been fairly mum about his personal life over the years, Slater married fellow DWTS pro Sasha Farber in 2018. Us broke the news in August that they quietly split after four years of marriage.

Dancing With the Stars airs on Disney+ Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. For more from Slater and Donovan, watch the video above!

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