Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Split After Almost 3 Years of Marriage
Update, May 29, 2020, 5:03 p.m. ET:
After almost three years of marriage, Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich have decided to separate, per People.
"We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate," they said in their joint statement. "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."
According to the outlet, they have been social distancing separately during the coronavirus pandemic — Brooks has been in Idaho and Julianne has stayed in their home in Los Angeles.
Original, August 3, 2019, 12 p.m. ET:
America's Got Talent judge Julianne Hough and her husband, Brooks Laich, just recently celebrated two years of marriage together this July. By the looks of their countless smiley Instagrams, the two couldn't be happier that they found each other – though, if it weren't for Masters of Sex star Teddy Sears, they might have never crossed paths.
In 2016, Julianne told Cosmopolitan that she has Teddy alone to thank for introducing her to the Canadian hockey star. Teddy and Julianne first became friends when they worked on a horror movie together that never got released. Meanwhile, Brooks, who was also pals with Teddy, started crushing on Julianne when he saw her in a Juicy Fruit commercial.
"He'd seen the commercial and was like, 'Where do I meet a girl like that?'" Julianne recalled. "I was the girl in the commercial! Teddy remembered that comment and texted Brooks, 'You're never going to guess who I'm doing a movie with.'"
After confirming that Julianne was single, Teddy allegedly pulled up a photo of Brooks on an iPad and told the dancer, "I've got a guy for you." In December of 2013, Julianne and Teddy went to Washington D.C. together, where Brooks met the Dancing With the Stars pro for the first time.
By February 2014, the two were officially an out-in-the-open item. When the summertime rolled around, Julianne opened up to Redbook about things between her and Brooks felt much different than her previous relationship with Ryan Seacrest.
A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Mar 31, 2019 at 5:00pm PDT
“Every relationship, there was nothing wrong or bad, but there was nothing right. I had one foot out because I didn’t want to get hurt. And I didn’t say what was on my mind because I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers," she explained. "But 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."
A little over one year later, Brooks dropped to one knee and asked Julianne to be his forever. Insider reports that the two were standing on their deck at home watching a sunset when Brooks popped the big question.
"We are overwhelmed with joy and excitement," Julianne wrote at the time. On July 8, 2017, Julianne and Brooks tied the knot in an outdoor wedding on Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where Julianne spent her summers growing up, according to People.
A post shared by Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) on Jul 8, 2019 at 4:15am PDT
Fast forward to today and, according to Julianne, their marriage has only continued to grow stronger. One of the things that has undoubtedly helped is their openness to admit when things might be "off" intimately.
"My curiosity has saved my life and honestly saved our relationship many times because we've been curious about like, 'Hey, something doesn't feel right.' Instead of just accepting it for how it is, let's look into something,'" Julianne explained on Brooks's How Men Think podcast. She went on to say that the two have sought out an online sex therapist to help them understand their "erotic blueprint."
"By almost learning each other's language ... it was almost like a menu of how we could please each other sexually, but also intimately," Julianne went on to say.
A post shared by Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) on Jul 8, 2019 at 5:15am PDT
In January, Julianne expressed to Women's Health that because of her endometriosis, she and Brooks have had to make other adjustments in their sex life (sex can at times be painful for women with endometriosis).
"Sometimes we're in the middle and I’m just like 'AH, stop!'" Julianne explained to the outlet. "It can be really frustrating ... He only wants to love on me and make me feel good."
On a positive note though, she told told the magazine in August for their Naked Issue that the pair's intimate bond has made her feel more and more like her true self.
“I [told him], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’ And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you,’” she revealed to the outlet. “I think there’s a safety with my husband now that I’m unpacking all of this, and there’s no fear of voicing things that I’ve been afraid to admit or that I’ve had shame or guilt about because of what I’ve been told or how I was raised.”
As for Brooks, it's clear that he is 100% behind his wife, no matter what.
“Whatever my wife needs, whatever I can do, I’m fighting the smallest portion of the fight with her,” he said on How Men Think. “There are certain things in my wife’s life that I know she appreciates that help her feel calm and help her feel relaxed, so I double those efforts during that time just to show that I’m there with her and I support her.”
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