Dancing With The Stars Partners Who Dated After The Show
"Dancing with the Stars" has earned itself a bit of a reputation over the years for having its dancers and celebrity partners get a little closer than just performing a sexy samba. Heck, with hours locked behind closed doors, plenty of close contact, and some super steamy dance moves thrown in, it's only natural for there to be a spark of attraction every now and then.
In fact, long-time professional "DWTS" dancer Cheryl Burke has warned celebrities going on the show to only sashay into the ballroom if they're flying solo. "Be single if you do 'Dancing with the Stars.' That's all I'm saying," she admitted on her "Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans" podcast in May. "It's so intimate, and you're stuck with this person ... you get close in so many ways. These celebrities are so vulnerable because in order to succeed, you have to strip it all down ... I bet you most of these married celebrities have never even done that with their wives," she said.
It turns out there are quite a few famous faces and their professional "DWTS" dancer partners who have sparked up a romance after dancing together on the show. Just, some relationships have been more successful than others.
Robert Herjavec and Kym Herjavec
Kym Herjavec, then known as Kym Johnson, was given the challenge of teaching "Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec how to dance on Season 20 of "Dancing with the Stars." The two didn't go all the way in the competition (they were eliminated in seventh place), but they did spark up a romance ... after the show, of course. When they danced together, Robert was still legally married to his first wife Diane Plese (TMZ reported that Robert had formally separated from Plese in March 2015, with a divorce looming), but Kym and Robert have insisted that nothing romantic happened between them right away. "We were friends first, and we got to know each other on a friendship level; I think that's really important. That developed into something else, and it's really great," Kym told People in 2016.
People then confirmed Kym and Robert were officially dating in September 2015 (four months after the Season 20 finale aired) and this couple has only gone from strength to strength since then. The happy couple got married in July 2016 and welcomed their twins, Hudson and Haven, into the world in 2018.
It seems like these two couldn't be happier. To celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary in 2023, Robert posted a collage of photos from their time together on Instagram alongside the caption, "Happy Anniversary amazing lady — 7 great years — it's been an amazing ride!"
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev
Back in 2017, WWE wrestler and reality star Nikki Garcia (who then went by Nikki Bella) was partnered up with Artem Chigvintsev for "Dancing with the Stars" Season 25. While dancing together, Garcia was still engaged to John Cena, but the two called off their engagement in July 2018. It actually wasn't until around two years after their "DWTS" stint that these two embarked on a romantic relationship. Fans actually saw the moment Garcia and Chigvintsev reunited post-"DWTS" on an episode of Garcia's former reality show "Total Bellas" that aired in January 2019, in which the twosome met up for lunch. In the episode, the two couldn't stop smiling at one another and Garcia even told her former dance partner, "You look good." Garcia then confirmed she was dating the pro dancer via an Instagram post two months later, and these two haven't stopped giving us one of our favorite "DWTS" romances ever since.
In January 2020, Garcia confirmed she and Chigvintsev were expecting their first child (at the same time as her twin sister, Brie Garcia!) and the happy couple welcomed a baby boy in August 2020. Two years later, Garcia and Chigvintsev officially tied the knot after postponing their wedding in part due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart
Broadway star and "Switched at Birth" actor Daniel Durant found love with professional dancer Britt Stewart after they first met on Season 31 of "Dancing with the Stars." The two didn't do too badly on the show, as they made it all the way to the semi-finals in 2022, but their romance turned out to be even stronger than their dancing skills.
Despite saying goodbye to the series in November 2022, it wasn't until February 2023 (Valentine's Day to be exact!) that these two officially confirmed they were dating. Durant announced the exciting news on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself cuddling up with Stewart alongside the caption, "My Valentine. Happy Valentine's Day!" That same month, Stewart took to Instagram to share a heartfelt post for her boyfriend alongside a video of them dancing together. "It's now been over a week without @danielndurant on tour and it just doesn't feel the same! I'm so proud of Daniel for bringing such a radiant and contagious energy to the @dwtstourofficial stage and everything he does in life!" she wrote in the caption.
By the end of the year, Durant had popped the question. In December 2023, the two shared a joint post on Instagram alongside the caption, "Forever!!" In the snaps, the happy couple embraced in woodland as Stewart showed off her stunning engagement ring.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough
Actor Shannon Elizabeth was partnered up with multiple "Dancing with the Stars" mirror ball winner Derek Hough for Season 6 of the show in 2008, and the two went on to embark on a romance after they were eliminated in seventh place. After leaving the show, the two both appeared on "The Bobby Bones Show" where they coyly addressed if a romance was on the cards. Hough wouldn't officially confirm that they were a couple, but did tell the radio host, "We spend a lot of time with each other and, you know, we're going to continue spending a lot of time with each other and see what happens."
The two did eventually become an official couple and, that same year, Elizabeth was forced to deny rumors she and Hough would be tying the knot. "There's this whole weird rumor going around. One of them says that he proposed and I said no, and the other says he proposed and I said yes, and we're getting married. Neither one is true," she told People in August 2008. She also told the outlet she was looking forward to seeing who her man would be dancing with during the next season. However, exactly a year later, their relationship fizzled and they went their separate ways. The exes sent out matching messages on X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm their split. "Shannon & I have decided to end our relationship as boyfriend & girlfriend," Hough's message read.
Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff
Way back during Season 3 of "Dancing with the Stars," the multi-faceted Mario Lopez was paired up with Karina Smirnoff on the dancefloor. These two made a seriously hot couple, so much so their chemistry stretched way out of the ballroom. In fact, this couple went on to date for two years after first meeting on the show after coming in second place. Smirnoff admitted to People in 2008 that they tried to hold off on sparking up a romance, but couldn't hide their feelings for one another. "We actually tried to fight the attraction as long as we could. But obviously, that didn't last too long at all," she admitted.
However, this relationship came crashing down when Smirnoff claimed that Lopez had admitted to cheating on her. There were plenty of tabloid rumors swirling around the now-former couple's relationship at the time, with Fox News suggesting the "Access Hollywood" host had supposedly gotten into a relationship with another woman and told her he'd split with Smirnoff. After being devastated by the news, Smirnoff admitted to People almost two years after their "DWTS" stint started, "You come to that realization that this is not what you want out of love and out of life, and this is not who you want to be with."