Julianne Hough Admits Ex-Husband Brooks Laich 'Represented More of a Father Figure to Me,' Says Their Marriage 'Wasn't Right'

Julianne Hough has no ill will toward ex-husband Brooks Laich — though she oddly said he "represented more of a father figure" to her during their relationship.

On the Monday, August 12, episode of Dax Shepard 's "Armchair Expert" podcast, the blonde beauty shared a few details about her failed marriage, which spanned from 2017 to 2022.

"It wasn’t right. That can be a hard thing to fully accept," the Dancing With the Stars alum, 36, explained. "We both have regrets that it didn’t work out, because I don’t think we had the maturity to come together."

"He was contracting while I was expanding. We just couldn’t find each other in that," she added, noting he was going through a rough patch at the end of his NHL career.

Hough admitted she's "sad" things didn't end the way she planned, gushing of the former hockey player, 41, "He’s got the greatest heart that I could ever have the privilege of being with."

The pair became engaged in 2015 after around three years of dating and tied the knot in 2017 — but by 2020, the Save Haven actress asked the athlete for a separation.

At that same time, she lost one of her precious dogs, making her feel like life was "unraveling."

"Everything that I had ever known, that I had put in place for my control and my protection … I had this marriage to this guy who represented more of a father figure to me, and while he was changing, I was changing ," she spilled, revealing she had "uprooted everything" in her life.

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Though the two attempted to work things out, they broke up by the end of 2020 and finalized their divorce in 2022.

"We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate," they said in a joint 2020 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."

Hough hasn't publicly dated anyone since the breakup, as insiders claimed the rumors about her being more than friends with Ben Barnes , 42, weren't true.

"She's staying busy by working, traveling, spending time with loved ones, and prioritizing her mind, body, and soul," an insider told a news outlet of what the dancer has been up to. "She hasn't been dating anyone seriously."