Julianne Hough Had 1st Alcoholic Drink at Age 11, Recalls Having an ‘Addictive Loop’ Over the Years

Julianne Hough opened up about her relationship with alcohol — including that she had her first drink at a very young age.

"My first drink was at 11," Hough, 36, revealed on the Monday, August 12, episode of Dax Shepard 's "Armchair Expert" podcast . "It was Baileys Irish Cream."

Hough didn't get "really drunk" until a few years later when she was living with brother Derek Hough in London. The siblings were sent overseas by their parents to live and study with their dance coaches, Corky and Shirley Ballas . As a result, Julianne and Derek, 39, formed a friendship with fellow professional dancer Mark Ballas , who was also being trained by his mom and dad.

"There was one time I got really drunk, [which was] the first time and last time I was ever allowed [to have] people over at my house in London. Mark and Derek helped me out," Julianne recalled. "They were very sweet. I was, like, 14. And then I didn't drink."

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The actress returned to alcohol when she pursued a music career.

"When I started doing country music, everybody drinks on tour, so then I would drink a little bit," Julianne said before addressing a specific incident that played out in the public eye. "The reason I fell off the stage at that [2008] show, we were in Napa and we had done a wine tour that day. Then, like always, we would do a shot before we go on, and it just mixed wrong."

Julianne clarified that there weren't any issues she was masking with her drinking, adding, "The stars aligned in that moment."

While reflecting on major highs and lows in her life , Julianne found a concerning pattern.

"When I started the movies — I ended up figuring this out a few years ago. But my addictive loop, Nicorette gum was part of it, alcohol was part of it, diet pills was a part of it and online shopping. The loop," she explained on Monday. "It would be like a long period of time, and then it got shorter and shorter and shorter over like a span of 12 years."

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Julianne felt the "biggest sense of relief not shame" about the personal revelation, saying, "It was like, 'Oh my God. Thank God I figured this out because that had so much control over me.' I got it in a way where it was more binging vs. nonstop so I could hide that so easily and justify it."

The Dancing With the Stars cohost previously discussed how growing up in the Mormon church affected her relationship with alcohol. Julianne told the New York Post in 2013 that even though she no longer practices the religion, she was “so glad" to be raised Mormon.

Julianne said her and Derek were raised with rules that included “no sex before marriage, no drinking, no caffeine, no smoking, no swear words, no R-rated movies.” After moving away from the religion, Julianne launched Fresh Vine Wine in 2021 with best friend Nina Dobrev .

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The line promoted “low carb, low calorie, low sugar” options.

"I wasn’t exposed to wine until I was about 21 because I grew up in Utah in a Mormon family," Julianne told Forbes in 2021 while discussing the business venture. "When I was 21 and of legal drinking age I had a boyfriend who knew about wine, so I was excited and curious about being able to go to different vineyards and have incredible experiences. It wasn't about getting drunk, it was about tasting and differentiating between the different wines."