Julianne Hough is giving a final bow to this rumor.
The Dancing With The Stars co-host addressed speculation that she and season four contestant, Apolo Ohno, were more than dance partners.
“I remember being on the show and it was like a whole new universe,” Julianne, 36, explained on the June 20 episode of Owen Thiele’s In Your Dreams podcast. “There’s the whole thing where everybody finds love or hook up on the show. Everybody thought I was hooking up with my partner Apolo. Never in a million years.”
Indeed, she and the Olympic speed skater—who later retired from the sport in 2013—had a memorable run on the series in 2007. The duo won the season four competition, a triumph that Julianne described as “one of the best times of my life” nearly a decade later on Instagram.
Though she has fond memories with Apolo, the former pro dancer confirmed their relationship was strictly professional.
“I was so mature as a kid,” she continued. “I was like, ‘No, I have a job to do.’”
Julianne’s comment comes six months after she sparked rumors with another star—but this time, no one in the dancing world. She and Bachelorette alum Tanner Courtad were spotted grabbing dinner in Los Angeles last December, two years after she finalized her divorce from former hockey player Brooks Liach. And while they looked cozy together during their outing, the two never confirmed if they were an item.
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Instead, Julianne has been focused on a new personal chapter. The Burlesque actress recently shared a glimpse of her fertility preservation process, which included her freezing her eggs for the third time.
“Navigating fertility is never simple, especially with endometriosis and my own personal timeline and hopes around having children,” she captioned the June 7 Instagram video, which sees her taking her IVF injection. “If sharing just a small piece of my journey helps someone feel less alone, or inspires them to ask questions and explore what’s right for them, then I feel like it’s worth it.”
