Considering the intense rehearsal and steamy routines, romance unsurprisingly blooms on the dance floor not only between the celebrity contestants and their pro partners, but also among the pros.
- Nov 29, 2020
AceShowbiz - "Dancing with the Stars" doesn't only birth celebrity dancers. It's not completely rare for the show to bring on-screen romance or off-screen split for the celebrity contestants as well as its professional dancers.
Considering their intense rehearsal and steamy routines, romance unsurprisingly blooms on the dance floor not only between the celebrity stars and their pro partners, but also among the pros. Some of them found love in each other after spending multiple hours together hitting the road together on the "Dancing With the Stars" tour.
Here are some couples who found love on the ballroom of the long-running TV show.
1. Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
Nikki Bella developed a friendship with Artem Chigvintsev during her appearance in season 25 of "DWTS". Their friendship didn't turn romance until 2 years later after her split from longtime boyfriend John Cena. The former WWE star confirmed their relationship in 2019.
"He lets me be me," she gushed over the pro dancer in October 2019. "The attention of what he gives me with my soul, with my personal life, my business life. Like, I have never met anyone who's so supportive and I have no fear that he's ever going to leave me for my imperfections, which is so amazing." The two engaged in January of this year and welcomed their first son, Matteo, in August.
2. Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence
Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence met for the first time in 2006 when Matthew was a contestant in the third season of "Dancing With the Stars". However, it wasn't until the show's tour in the following year that the two started dating each other.
Their relationship wasn't all smooth because they broke up in 2008. It took almost a decade for them to realize that they're meant to be as Cheryl reached out to her ex in Christmas 2016. They quickly rekindled their romance with Matthew proposing to her in May 2018. They tied the knot a year later.
3. Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec
Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec are one of the long-lasting "DWTS" couples. The former pro dancer on the ABC series was partnered with the businessman back in 2015. Throughout the stint, romance was blooming between the pair, who later announced their engagement in February 2016.
They didn't wait too long to exchange vows in a July 2016 wedding. Expanding their little family, Kym and the "Shark Tank" star are now proud parents to their twins, Hudson and Haven, whom they welcomed in April 2018.
4. Julianne Hough and Helio Castroneves
Julianne Hough and Helio Castroneves sparked a romance speculation after the pro dancer and the Brazilian auto racing driver shared a kiss during their Quickstep performance in season 5, which saw him as the winner. Further fueling rumors of their alleged romance, Helio confirmed his split from his longrime fiance, Aliette Vazquez, not long after his stint on the show.
Julianne and Helio were also spotted having a dinner at NYC's hot spot Tao where the rumored lovebirds were seen "canoodling at a side table" and looked "seriously smitten." However, the dancer insisted in an interview with PEOPLE that their relationship was purely platonic, saying, "I love Helio like he is my brother. We are the best of friends."
5. Emma Slater and Sasha Farber
Emma Slater and Sasha Farber were dating for years before they met as competitors in season 17 of "Dancing with the Stars", in which Emma was partnered with Bill Engvall and Sasha was partnered with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, back in 2013. However, they split in 2014, only to rekindle in 2015.
The pair continued going strong ever since with Sasha getting down on one knee to pop the question to his lady in a TV proposal in October 2016. The couple walked down the aisle at Bella Blanca in Los Angeles in March 2018.
6. Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd
Despite his nickname as the "bad boy of the ballroom", Maksim Chmerkovskiy easily found love in fellow "Dancing with the Stars" pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd. The two had years of an on-and-off relationship before the brother of Valentin Chmerkovskiy proposed to Peta in December 2015.
The lovebirds announced that they're expecting their first child together in 2016 with a picture of Maks kissing Peta's baby bump. "We couldn't be happier. Baby Chmerkovskiy is coming," she captioned it at the time. Their son Shai Aleksander was born in January 2017 and the pair tied the knot seven months later.
7. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough
Derek Hough was romantically linked with a number of celebrity contestants he's partnered with on "Dancing with the Stars". Among them was environmentalist and vegan Shannon Elizabeth. The couple dated for more than a year after they appeared as a pair in the sixth season of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2008.
Their romance didn't last long because the twosome announced their split in 2009 on Twitter. "Hi everyone, we wanted you all to know directly from us, that Shannon & I have decided to end our relationship as boyfriend & girlfriend...," Derek wrote at the time, while Elizabeth added, "However, we love and care about each other very much and will remain friends and in each others lives. Thank you everyone for all your sweet words & encouragement--it really means a lot to me!"
8. Alan Bersten and model Alexis Ren
Alan Bersten and Alexis Ren made headlines with their possible romance after they shared a kiss in an episode of season 27 back in 2018. The pair appeared to try to work their romance out off-screen, but they seemingly failed to do so. As soon as the season wrapped up, fans saw their alleged budding romance dissolving rather quickly.
"We're focused on our careers and growing as individuals. He's an amazing person and I'm grateful he came into my life. He is on his own journey and I respect that," the social media influencer responded to a fan on Instagram. Even worse, Alan hinted that the intimacy between him and Alexis was nothing but staged.
9. Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson
Valentin Chmerkovskiy and fellow "DWTS" pro Jenna Johnson crossed path for the first time in 2014 when the "So You Think You Can Dance" alum joined the troupe member of the ABC dance competition show. Val and Jenna started off as a friend before their relationship took a romantic turn in 2015.
They split briefly in 2016 with Val dating season 23 contestant Amber Rose later on. However, it didn't last long because Jenna and Val found their way back to each other as they got engaged in 2018. "I knew Jenna was the one when I saw how close she is with her family and how she interacts with her nieces and nephews," Val gushed in 2018. "Family is everything to me and I can’t wait for us to build one together." The couple tied the knot in April 2019.
10. Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko
Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko sparked romance rumors after appearing as a pair in season 29 of "Dancing with the Stars" after he gave her flowers in order to make her stop being upset after an off-screen fight. Apparently further fueling the speculations, amid the rumors, Gleb announced his split from his wife of 14 years Elena Samodanov, who later shaded him over his "ongoing infidelity and a recent inappropriate relationship."
Despite that, both the "Selling Sunset" and the pro dancer denied having an affair. Calling it "false accusations," Gleb insisted, "My relationship with Chrishell was and remains strictly platonic. Our friendship during our season on DWTS was not the reason for our split."
