Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich have “had a lot of back-and-forth moments” since they initially call it quits, but according to a source, their marriage is over for good.
“Julianne and Brooks just can’t get past their problems,” the source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Julianne had a dinner party with friends a few months ago, which Brooks came to. They were trying to be lovey-dovey with each other and have a good night with a few friends, but Brooks ended up bringing up some of their issues in front of everyone and it became a big fight.”
Hough, 32, and Laich, 37, announced their split in May after months of speculation.
“We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” the duo said in a joint statement at the time. “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.”
The Dancing With the Stars alum was subsequently seen with Westworld alum Ben Barnes. Three months later, Hough and Laich, who wed in 2017, were spotted at lunch, sparking reunion speculation. A second source told Us in September that they were “giving things another shot.”
According to the first source, Hough and Laich stayed in contact during the summer because of their mutual friends and business deals.
“When they took time apart, Julianne was heavily involved with Kinrgy, and because Brooks helped her develop it, they continued to stay in touch and also were connected because they share the same friend group. They missed each other and ended up hooking up a few times during their breakup and have tried to sort out their marriage and business commitments,” the source tells Us.
After being seen together on multiple occasions, Hough filed for divorce on Monday, November 2. The Footloose alum’s decision to take legal action came after her brother, Derek Hough, exclusively told Us that he wants both his sister and brother-in-law to be happy.
“For anybody that you love and that you care about, that’s all you want. You just want people around you to be happy and to support them in any way you possibly can and to serve them,” Derek, 35, told Us on October 2. “And that’s really the key. … We just want all of our family, we want all of our friends and everybody to be happy. And then if we can help that, then we’re happy to do it.”
The same day Julianne filed for divorce, she shared a cryptic quote via Instagram that read, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
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