Julianne Hough’s Dating History: From Ryan Seacrest to Brooks Laich and Everything In Between

If you’ve ever scrolled past a photo of Julianne Hough lighting up a red carpet or spinning across the Dancing with the Stars floor and thought, “How does someone that talented also have this wild love life?”—you’re not alone. I’ve followed her career for years, from those early DWTS seasons when she was basically a teenager owning the stage to her hosting days now. Julianne Hough dating history feels like one of those celebrity timelines that keeps handing out plot twists. Ryan Seacrest? Check. Hockey player turned husband Brooks Laich? Double check. Childhood engagement, country music detours, and everything in between. Ready to walk through it with me like we’re dissecting it over coffee?

Julianne’s romantic life has always mixed high-profile moments with real growth. She grew up Mormon in Utah, moved to L.A. young, and jumped into the spotlight fast. That background shaped some early choices. Let’s start at the beginning and work our way through the headlines, the quiet periods, and the lessons she seems to keep learning out loud.

Julianne Hough’s Dating History: Quick Look at the Full Partner List

Here’s a simple table of the main people linked to Julianne over the years.

Photo	Partner	Years	Notes
	Zack Wilson	~2005–2007	Childhood sweetheart, engaged, called off wedding.
	Chuck Wicks	2008–2009	Country singer, DWTS partner (Season 8).
	Dane Cook	2010 (rumored)	Brief public sightings.
	Ryan Seacrest	2010–2013	High-profile TV relationship; remained friends after the split.
	Ari Sandel	2013 (rumored)	Short post-Seacrest chapter.
	Brooks Laich	2013/2014–2020 (married 2017–2022)	Former NHL player; marriage ended in an amicable divorce.
	Later links	2021–present	Occasional rumors (Charlie Wilson, Ben Barnes as friends, Tanner Courtad); currently single.

Early Days and That First Big Commitment

Julianne wasn’t even famous yet when she got engaged the first time. Around 2005 she started dating Zack Wilson, a dancer and childhood friend from the same Utah Mormon circles. They knew each other forever. By the time she headed to Los Angeles at 18, the two of them had already decided they were getting married.

She later told Glamour something that still sticks with me: when she first landed in L.A., she was engaged to “a guy I knew from Utah who had served a Mormon mission.” Can you imagine packing up your whole life, chasing dance dreams, and still planning a wedding? They set a date for August 2007. Then reality hit. Career opportunities exploded. She postponed the wedding in May of that year. By November they called the whole thing off.

I always wonder what that felt like for both of them. One minute you’re planning forever with your hometown person, the next you’re both realizing the paths just don’t match anymore. Zack later married one of Julianne’s childhood best friends. Talk about full-circle awkwardness, right? Still, she has spoken about that chapter with zero bitterness. It was young love that taught her something early: timing matters more than the story you thought you were writing.

Country Music and the DWTS Connection

After the engagement ended, Julianne threw herself into Dancing with the Stars. She debuted as a pro in season 4 and quickly became a fan favorite. Around 2008 she crossed paths with country singer Chuck Wicks. They met while both were on tour with Brad Paisley, and the spark was immediate.

They started dating that year. In early 2009 they even competed together on season 8 of DWTS. Watching them dance while secretly (or not so secretly) dating must have been peak reality-TV chaos. They didn’t win the mirrorball, but the relationship looked solid for a while. Sources said they moved fast and talked about marriage. Then, in November 2009, they split.

Julianne has stayed pretty quiet about the details. From the outside it looked like two busy people whose schedules and ambitions pulled them in different directions. Chuck went back to country music. Julianne kept climbing. Have you ever dated someone in the same industry and watched the “we get each other” feeling slowly turn into “we never see each other”? That seems to be the vibe here.

There was also a brief moment in 2010 when paparazzi spotted her hanging out with comedian Dane Cook. Nothing serious came of it—just a few public sightings that fueled the usual tabloid frenzy. Julianne has never confirmed anything substantial, so I file that one under “maybe they grabbed coffee, maybe not.” Hollywood loves a mystery.

The Ryan Seacrest Years

Now we get to the relationship that probably put her dating life on the map for most of America. Ryan Seacrest.

They first crossed paths while she was still with Chuck. Julianne and Chuck appeared on Ryan’s radio show together. She later admitted she still blushes listening to that interview because Ryan was clearly flirting the entire time. At the end he said something like, “You guys really have something special,” and she thought, “He’s so full of it right now.” Classic.

After she and Chuck broke up, Julianne wanted to stay single. That lasted about five months. Then she and Ryan went on a date in the summer of 2010. Boom. They were official.

The age gap was 13 years. He was already a massive TV personality. She was the rising dancer/actress. They looked great together—red carpets, yacht trips, the whole package. She told Glamour they shared the same competitive drive. “When we work out with a trainer, we’ll die before we stop.” She called him romantic. He called her the best part of every day on talk shows.

Engagement rumors flew constantly. For three years they were one of those Hollywood couples everyone tracked. Then in March 2013 it ended.

Julianne has been honest about why. In one interview she said every relationship she’d been in felt like there was nothing wrong, but also nothing completely right. She kept one foot out the door because she didn’t want to get hurt. She didn’t speak her mind fully. On a more recent podcast she admitted she overcompensated during the Seacrest years. She worried people would think she was using him for his fame, so she made herself malleable—whatever he needed her to be. That kind of self-editing sounds exhausting.

They stayed friends, though. When she married Brooks years later, Ryan publicly congratulated her and said she looked stunning. In 2022 they even appeared on his radio show together and talked about how comfortable they still feel around each other. That’s rare. Most high-profile splits leave residual awkwardness. These two seem to have skipped that chapter.

Quick side note: right after the Seacrest split there were brief rumors involving Academy Award-winning director Ari Sandel. They were spotted a few times in 2013. Nothing long-term. Just another short chapter while she figured out what she actually wanted.

Meeting Brooks Laich and Building Something Bigger

By the end of 2013, Julianne was ready for something different. A mutual friend—actor Teddy Sears—introduced her to Brooks Laich, then a forward for the Washington Capitals. They lived on opposite coasts. She was in L.A. He was in D.C. For two months they only talked on the phone and FaceTimed. No pressure, just getting to know each other.

When they finally met in person, both later said they already knew it was going to happen. By February 2014 they were public. They got engaged in August 2015. Julianne posted the news with pure joy. In July 2017 they got married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony on Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho—the same lake where she’d spent summers growing up. She told People it felt right to build a family there.

For a while it looked like the fairytale. They talked about kids. Julianne even shared publicly that they were going through IVF. She also opened up during the marriage about her sexuality, telling Brooks she “wasn’t straight.” That level of honesty takes guts. He supported her. From the outside they seemed solid.

Then 2020 hit. COVID lockdowns kept them apart. Speculation grew. In May 2020 they released a joint statement that still feels classy: “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate. We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place.”

Julianne later said she asked for the separation in September 2019. Their lives were moving in opposite directions—he was contracting while she was expanding. They tried to reconcile, but it didn’t stick. She filed for divorce in November 2020. It finalized in June 2022.

Here’s the part that impresses me most. They stayed kind. Brooks was a groomsman at her brother Derek’s wedding in 2023. In 2024 and 2025 Julianne has been photographed with Brooks and his now-fiancée, CrossFit athlete Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir. She even posted warm congratulations when they announced they were expecting. That is next-level maturity. Not everyone can celebrate their ex’s new chapter that genuinely.

Life After Divorce and What She’s Looking For Now

Since the divorce finalized, Julianne has kept a lower romantic profile. She’s been linked here and there—model Charlie Wilson at one point, dinner sightings with The Bachelorette alum Tanner Courtad in late 2024—but nothing has stuck publicly. She and actor Ben Barnes have been friends for years; the “dating” rumors never held up.

In recent interviews she sounds peaceful about it. She’s single, happy with her dog Sunny, focused on Dancing with the Stars hosting, wellness projects, and whatever Broadway or creative thing comes next. She told People her heart is open but she’s not actively hunting. “It’s all energy-based. I don’t really have a type. It’s more connection.” She wants a partner who matches the pace of her most authentic self. She still sees herself building a family someday, most likely with a man, but she’s not forcing the timeline.

I respect that. After two serious engagements, a high-profile dating era, and a marriage that ended with real respect, she’s earned the right to move slowly. Ever notice how some people jump straight into the next relationship just to avoid being alone? Julianne seems to have skipped that trap.

What We Can Actually Learn From All This

Looking at the full picture, a few themes jump out.

First, she keeps choosing growth over staying stuck. The childhood engagement ended when careers diverged. The Seacrest years taught her not to shrink herself. The marriage with Brooks showed her (and us) that love and compatibility aren’t always the same thing, and that you can walk away without burning the bridge.

Second, she talks about her past with surprising honesty. Not every celebrity does that. When she discussed overcompensating with Ryan or telling Brooks she wasn’t straight, she didn’t hide behind PR-speak. That authenticity is rare.

Third, the friendships that survived. Ryan still speaks warmly. Brooks is still in the family orbit in a healthy way. That’s not luck—that’s intentional work after the romance ends.

And yeah, the tabloids love to turn every dinner into a new romance. FYI, most of those “sources” are just guessing. Julianne has gotten good at ignoring the noise.

Wrapping It Up

Julianne Hough’s dating history isn’t a neat Hollywood fairytale. It’s messier, more human, and honestly more interesting because of it. From a teenage engagement that didn’t survive the move to L.A., through country music and American Idol fame, all the way to a marriage that ended with mutual respect and continued kindness—she’s lived a lot of chapters.

Right now she’s single, thriving in her career, and keeping the door open without forcing anything. If the next relationship shows up, great. If it doesn’t for a while, that seems fine too. IMO, that calm is the most grown-up part of the whole story.

What do you think—did any of these chapters surprise you the most? Or are you just rooting for her to keep dancing through whatever comes next? Either way, it’s been a ride watching her figure it out in public. Here’s to the next chapter being exactly what she needs. 🙂