Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough used to date and were in a relationship for three years until they called it quits.
Julianne, 36, recently talked about what led to the end of her relationship with the new Wheel of Fortune host , 49. She explained how her own insecurities regarding their fame and specifically not wanting to seem like she was using him made her "overcompensate" and began "playing smaller." As she reflected, she made it clear they had a good relationship and the two are still amicable. The pair dated from 2010 to 2013 and went on to date other people after that.
The professional dancer went on to marry former hockey player Brooks Laich in 2017 after four years of dating. In May 2020, the couple announced their separation and finalized their divorce two years later. Julianne has not publicly dated anyone since then but she recently told PEOPLE her "heart is open" to getting back out there. Ryan and model Aubrey Paige ended their relationship in April 2024. The couple dated for three years. While Julianne and Ryan have moved on and remain amicable, we take a look inside their relationship.
How did Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest meet?
Julianne and Ryan began dating in the summer of 2010. They first met when the Dancing With the Stars co-host went on Ryan's radio show with her then-boyfriend Chuck Wicks. Julianne and Chuck ended their relationship in 2009. While Juliana met Ryan for the first time on his radio show, she shared to Glamour in 2012 how someone attempted to set them up ahead of her radio appearance when Julianne moved to Los Angeles, but she was engaged at the time.
Julianne gushed about their relationship publicly over the years. She said he was "really romantic" when she was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November 2010. She recounted a time he surprised her with flowers in her car when he was out of town.
She also told Parade in 2012 how she felt lucky to be a relationship with Ryan: "I'm so lucky that I have a great relationship. I'm very blessed and I don't take anything for granted. I think if you alienate people and just focus on your work then it just becomes lonely and it's not fun anymore."
The two even had engagement rumors but they ended their relationship in March 2013. Sources reported at the time to PEOPLE that their busy work schedules played a role. Although, the couple broke up, they remained friends. In 2022, Ryan interviewed Julianne and her brother Derek Hough on his show, On-Air With Ryan Seacrest. During the interview, they talked about if it was "awkward" for them
"There is nothing uncomfortable about it because we remained friends for years and still are," Ryan explained. Hough agreed with that sentiment and added that they they both still have "respect and love" for each other.
Why did Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest split?
Julianne went on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast in August. The Rock of Ages star reflected on her relationship with Ryan and what went wrong. Dax had asked her what it was like dating the American Idol host. Julianne agreed that it was "romantic" and "exciting" and that "lost" herself to that. She explained how she was crafting a career for herself and she didn't want people to think she was taking advantage of Ryan.
"The rug was swept up from underneath me, and I was just flying, and I was experiencing things that I didn't even know existed,” Julianne said. "But then I had this insecurity that I was like, ‘I don't ever want anybody to think that I'm with him for this reason.’ And so I then started playing smaller."
Julianne went on to say that Ryan had previous experience with people using him for his fame so she ended up overcompensating: "So I again overcompensated, [I] was malleable to fit into exactly what somebody needed me to be for them to be happy."
Julianne added that has been a pattern in her other relationships, where she molds herself to what they need so she "can be loved." She recalled how when she broke up things off with Ryan to start constructing her own career for herself outside of him and how people reacted.
"I remember when I decided to break things off, I had a lot of these Brentwood moms and producers in that world that were like, 'What are you doing?'" Julianne shared. "And I was like, 'What do you mean?' They're like, 'Your life is completely set up.' And I was, like, 'But I didn't build it.'"
She continued, "I didn’t think about what people thought. I was just wrestling on the inside… I definitely was in full self-preservation mode, so I was only concerned about me."
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