Learning to put herself first. Julianne Hough described how she got back on track after feeling “a little lost” in one of her past relationships.
“It was 2013 and I had just gotten out of a relationship that was very high profile,” the former Dancing With the Stars pro, 32, said during an Instagram Live chat with influencer Valeria Lipovetsky on Tuesday, November 10. “I was on private planes and yachts and living in a very, very well-off house and my life was pretty different from where I grew up. … I had just gotten out of that relationship because I wanted to create that for myself because I kind of felt like I didn’t deserve it. Like, I didn’t earn that, so now I need to go and create that for myself.”
Hough didn’t specifically mention the name of her ex during the conversation, but in 2013, she split from Ryan Seacrest after three years of dating. During that time, the Footloose actress caught herself doing things “different than I had before” and falling away from “living in a state of perfection and image and doing everything the right way.”
“I kind of just was like, ‘F–k it. I’m just going to do things where I’m not going to necessarily overthink them to make sure that I’m doing everything perfect and right,’” she continued. “And that year, I kind of got a little lost. … I was like, ‘I’m 24 and I don’t really know who Julianne is.’”
The Utah native had spent much of her life being “very focused on achieving” and admitted that after this particular breakup, she felt as though she was on her own. Once she got out of that relationship, the ballroom dancer noticed a major “identity shift” — and learned to find a perfect balance in her life.
“I realized that the pendulum swing went from one side to the extreme,” Hough said. “I was like, ‘OK, there’s got to be something in the middle where I can find fulfillment without having to be so dynamic and extreme.’”
The Burlesque actress’ candid revelation comes shortly after she filed for divorce from Brooks Laich, whom she wed in July 2017. Hough and the Canadian athlete, 37, announced in May that they were going their separate ways after less than three years of marriage.
Before confirming that they had called it quits, the pair sparked rumors of a split as they quarantined in separate states amid the coronavirus pandemic.
After the Rock of Ages star filed the paperwork to end her marriage, a source told Us Weekly exclusively that the twosome “had a lot of back-and-forth moments” over the last few months — and even “ended up hooking up a few times” amid their split.
“Julianne and Brooks just can’t get past their problems,” the insider said days after Hough’s November 2 divorce filing.
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