DWTS’ Emma Slater Says ‘Close Friend’ Sasha Farber Will ‘Be in My Life Forever’ After Their Divorce

Emma Slater insists there’s no bad blood between her and ex-husband Sasha Farber after the Dancing With the Stars pros officially called it quits in 2023.

“We really are close friends,” Slater, 35, exclusively told Us Weekly of Farber, 40, at the sixth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards on Saturday, June 15, in Los Angeles. “He’s somebody who's in my life forever. It's a true genuine connection and he's the best person, just absolutely amazing. We just get on really, really well.”

Slater and Farber started dating in 2011 and got engaged on DWTS in October 2016. They tied the knot in March 2018, but Us Weekly broke the news in August 2022 that the dancers had separated after more than four years of marriage. “They’ve been apart for many months now,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “They both have not been wearing their wedding rings and are each leading a single life. It’s been a difficult time since they really care about each other and have been together for so long.”

They finalized their divorce in February 2023, with Slater telling “The Viall Files” podcast last summer that they wanted different things in life.

“It’s really the kid thing,” she told host Nick Viall . “It’s interesting because I do want to have kids, I just don’t want to delay Sasha’s path in having kids because I know that he is ready for that. I don’t want to talk about him too much because that’s really for him to say, but it’s about kids.”

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At the Critics Choice Real TV Awards, Slater insisted that having respect for each other is pivotal to maintaining a friendship post-divorce.

“I don't know what advice I would give other than just be compassionate and have patience with people going through things,” Slater told Us . “Sometimes you want to just throw daggers at people and say mean things but really, you don't really know what people are going through. So have compassion, have kindness and make sure that you have that in your life.”

Slater and Farber, who still appear together on DWTS , reunited in Kansas City last week for an annual charity event. The friendly exes were joined by fellow pros Britt Stewart , Gleb Savchenko and Artem Chigvintsev .

“Get a little closer 😉,” Slater captioned a carousel of photos from the weekend’s festivities on Instagram . “Showtime!!!!!!” Farber commented.

Slater, for her part, said she’s happily dating herself these days and is not really interested in putting herself back out there.

“I was thinking about that,” she told Us of finding someone new. “I'm still really happy just dating myself, honestly. I'm in such a good place of not really needing to be with anybody that I'm not worried about it. I'm good.”

She even referenced Vanderpump Rules star and DWTS alum Ariana Madix ’s post-Scandoval “ revenge ” dress on Saturday, saying her Lisa Marie Cameron -styled look reminded her of the reality star.

“I feel pretty,” Slater told Us on the carpet. “I actually rarely wear red. I don't know why. It's just not a color that I necessarily pick. But this dress is really amazing. It kind of reminds me of Ariana’s dress from the Vanderpump Rules reunion.”

Slater was at the event to celebrate DWTS , as well as former host Tom Bergeron , who received the first-ever Sam Rubin Award. Bergeron, 69, was dismissed from the competition show in 2020 after an alleged disagreement with producers over the casting of Sean Spicer . He and cohost Erin Andrews were initially replaced by Tyra Banks before she exited the series and cohosts Alfonso Ribiero and Julianne Hough joined the fray.

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“I gotta say, I think watching Tom Bergeron’s quick wit and sense of humor, especially in the dress rehearsals [is a favorite memory],” Slater told Us . “I wish everybody could experience that because he'd bring his sense of humor and his quick wit and it’s just unmatched. I feel like he's just a lovable personality, and he was the first person that really inspired me.”

She added: “I'm also trying to push myself on the host end and in the host direction. Watching him do his thing is amazing. Now we've got Alfonso so we've had some really insane hosting talent on the show.”

With reporting by Mike Vulpo