How Many Dance Partners Became Couples On Dancing With The Stars?
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When Jenna Johnson, DWTS Pro was asked why relationships gave the impression to flourish between dancers on the reveal in November 2018, she answered: "There's something about the show... You're so hand-on. … Dance is very physical.”
Dancing With The Stars is hard work. That physicality, combined with the hours the dancers spend in each other’s company during rehearsals, which sees the duo encouraging each other when things go well and giving comfort when they don’t, means there’s a lot of emotion around.
There is certainly no shortage of romances on set: Since the franchise began airing in 2004, each season has seen a mix of DWTS dance pros who have dated their celebrity partners, as well as a number of dance pros in relationships with each other.
It's impossible to count the numbers of romantic liaisons the show has seen. Plus, there are franchises across the world, with over 17 countries running DWTS competitions. Certainly, each of those has had its fair share of romances, taking the figures even higher.
Viewers tune in for the concept and the great dancing as much as for the romance that seems to be around every corner. And while some relationships have fizzled out pretty quickly, others have gone on to become more permanent, with some couples marrying and starting families together.
We take a look at some of the most famous DWTS romances.
Kym Johnson And Robert Herjavec Got Married
In 2015 millionaire Shark Tank investor and star Robert Herjavec was partnered with pro dancer Kym Johnson on Dancing With The Stars Season 20.
Between the Foxtrots and the Sambas, a relationship grew. The two immediately hit it off and started dating during the run of the show. They were married in July 2016 in a glittering ceremony, which saw Olivia Newton-John serenading the couple.
Kym and Robert welcomed twins Hudson and Haven two years later. The two are still happily married today and Robert has often said he is the luckiest man alive.
Even though this is the relationship that blossomed into something deeper for Kym, it's by no means the only relationship she had on the show: She started out her DWTS tenure as part of the Australian franchise.
The dancer, who was engaged to cricketer Shane Watson at the time, broke it off to date celebrity guest Tom Watson, who later went on to present a local news program.
Nikki Bella And Artem Chigvintsev Ditched John Cena
This one was pretty high profile.
When the respected former pro wrestler and reality star Nikki Bella signed up to participate in Season 25 in 2017, she wasn’t planning to waltz into romance.
At the time, Nikki was engaged to fellow wrestler and actor John Cena, who joked that his fiance's pro partner Artem Chigvintsev would probably have to put him through his paces for his first dance at their wedding.
Things didn’t turn out that way, with Nikki and Artem falling for each other. Nikki broke off her engagement to John and later started dating Artem in 2019.
The couple confirmed their relationship on their reality show, Total Bellas in March of that year. They got engaged in January 2020 and welcomed their son Matteo the following July.
Although the couple is planning to marry, they haven’t set a date yet.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy And Peta Murgatroyd Dated Around
Neither Maksim nor Peta were strangers to the dating game on the DWTS set. Both had flings with their dance partners, as well as with fellow pros. That came to a stop in 2014 when the two started dating each other.
They became engaged the following year and went on to marry in 2017. Today, they’re the proud parents of their son Shai.
Their marriage ceremony saw the confirmation of another DWTS relationship: Maksim’s brother Val and pro dancer Jenna Johnson attended the wedding together and confirmed they were in a relationship when photos of the two of them surfaced on social media.
Val Chmerkovskiy And Jenna Johnson Were Off And On
Ukrainian-born Pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy had been romantically linked to a number of his partners on DWTS, including first season winner actress and model Kelly Monaco, actress Janel Parrish and Model, and TV presenter Amber Rose.
Pro dancers Val and Jenna had also dated for a while in 2015, but they split up and went their separate ways.
However, the couple reunited a few years later, and this time, Chmerkovskiy was determined to make things permanent. In June 2018, the 32-year-old whisked Jenna off to the romantic city of Venice in Italy, where he proposed. The couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in Rancho Palo Verdes, California.
The couple is planning to start a family in the near future.
It's not only stars and pros who find love on DWTS. There are a number of pro dancers who have started relationships on the series.
There’s Even Been A Marriage Proposal On The Show
Dance pros Emma Slater and Sasha Farber started dating in 2011 before breaking up in 2014, but they quickly got back together the following year. And fittingly, Sasha decided to ask Emma to marry him on the DWTS dance floor during a live episode of the show.
Slater immediately said yes, and the entire DWTS cast joined in on the excitement. The pair married in March 2018.
There are some participants who set strict rules about dating on the show.
Beverly Hills 90210 actor, Brian Austin Green, was set to pair up with Pro dancer Sharna Burgess in Season 29 but had to pull out. It worked out well for the couple because Sharna has a strict policy on not dating her partners. The couple has been romantically linked since December 2020.
When it comes to Dancing With The Stars, one thing is certain: No matter where in the world the show is taking place, there will be participants falling in love.
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