18 Romances Born From ‘Dancing With The Stars’
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For more than 30 seasons, Dancing With the Stars has brought celebrities and professional dancers together to compete for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.
But sometimes, the chemistry between partners has extended far beyond the dance floor.
With weeks of rehearsals, intense performances, and countless hours spent side by side, it’s no surprise that sparks have occasionally started to fly.
Over the years, several Dancing With The Stars pairings have gone from dance partners to romantic partners, while other relationships blossomed after contestants formed connections with someone else in the cast. Some of the pros have even fallen in love!
From whirlwind showmances to relationships that stood the test of time, these are the romances that have blossomed in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom.
1. Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko
Model Brooks Nader (whose sister Sarah Jane Nader is competing on Season 35) was partnered with Gleb Savchenko for Season 33 in 2024. Their romance was hot and heavy from the beginning of their partnership, and he even appeared on her reality show Love Thy Nader. However, they broke up during the filming of Season One, which aired in 2025.
Many speculate that a Nader being back in the ballroom is the reason why Gleb was not brought back for Season 35.
2. Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber
Bachelorette star Jenn Tran experienced public heartbreak when her fiancé Devin Strader ended their engagement while their dating show was airing. Following the dramatic and emotional After The Final Rose special, she was immediately cast on Dancing With The Stars and flown to New York City for the cast announcement. In fact, she met her dance partner, Sasha Farber, on the tarmac getting on to the plane!
Throughout the season, Tran and Farber’s flirting became more and more apparent and after they were eliminated in Week 5, the pair stayed close and began dating, with Tran even living with him while she stayed in Los Angeles. After a while, she started Physician’s Assistant school up again, which took her to Florida, and it seems they couldn’t work through the long distance because they ended their relationship shortly after she went back to school.
3. Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart
For Season 31 in 2022, actor Daniel Durant was partnered with pro dancer Britt Stewart. Durant is deaf, so it posed an extra challenge for the pair to not only dance, but also communicate. Stewart showed her dedication to her craft by learning American Sign Language during the season, but she also learned that she had feelings for him!
Not long after the season ended airing, Daniel and Britt confirmed their relationship on social media. The couple got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2023 and were married on August 23, 2025.
4. Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe
Although they were not partners, Chrishell and Keo formed a relationship likely due to the dancer’s close friendship to Gleb Savchenko, who was the Selling Sunset star’s partner. Chrishell and Keo even went on vacation with Gleb and his wife at the time.
But, their relationship was short-lived. They ended things shortly after returning from the vacation.
5. Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten
Season 27 of the fan favorite romance had a real romance brewing in the ballroom. Model Alexis Ren and her pro partner, Alan Bersten, professed their feelings for each other on camera, and even shared a kiss during rehearsal.
They placed 4th in the competition that season, and their relationship didn’t last much longer once cameras stopped filming.
6. Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
While WWE wrestler Nikki Bella competed on Season 25 of Dancing With The Stars with Artem Chigvintsev, she was dating her longtime boyfriend John Cena. However, when that relationship ended, she and Artem began dating. Their son, Mateo, was born on July 31, 2020.
They were married on August 26, 2022, and eventually Nikki filed for divorce in September 2024.
7. Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec
Robert Herjavec, who people will know from the show Shark Tank, competed on Season 20 of Dancing With The Stars and was paired with two-time champion Kym Johnson. Their chemistry was undeniable and viewers at home could see it. Four months after the show wrapped, Herjavec and Johnson confirmed they were dating.
The couple got engaged on February 27, 2016 and were married five months later. They welcomed twins Hudson Robert Herjavec and Haven Mae Herjavec in April 2018.
8. Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke
While the Boy Meets World actor has never competed on the show, Dancing With The Stars is the reason they met. Lawrence’s brother, Joey, competed on Season 3 with pro partner Edyta Śliwińska. Through that connection, Matthew and Cheryl, a pro on the show, met.
They dated then for a while, but ended things. They rekindled their relationship in 2017 and became engaged in 2018. Matthew and Cheryl were married on May 23, 2019, but eventually split for good in February 2022.
9. Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez
Actor and host Mario Lopez competed on Season 3 of Dancing With The Stars and was partnered with Karina Smirnoff. They took their chemistry off stage and dated from 2006-2008.
10. Mark Ballas and Sabrina Bryan
During Season 5, Sabrina Bryan, of Cheetah Girls fame was partnered with Mark Ballas. Their chemistry was off the charts from the get-go, immediately fueling showmance rumors.
They clearly enjoyed each other’s company and confirmed they would be pursuing something romantic after they were voted off in Week 6. Their relationship was brief, with both saying they valued their friendship.
11. Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough
Actress Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough were partnered together for Season 6 of Dancing With The Stars. After being eliminated 7th, the dancing pair made their romance official despite their nine-year age gap.
They were together for over a year before calling it quits in August 2009.
Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks
Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks started dating in August 2008, prior to him joining the cast of Season 8. They were paired together and ended up placing 6th, being eliminated in April 2009.
They announced their mutual break-up in November 2009.
Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green
Like Chuck and Julianne, Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green were a couple before they danced together on the show on Season 30 in 2021. They didn’t make it far in the competition, but their relationship has! They are currently engaged and have a son, Zane, together.
12. Amber Rose and Val Chmerkovskiy
In 2016, model & actress Amber Rose was partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy on Season 23. While they were eliminated fifth, they spent a significant amount of time together with their friends and family. So much so that Maks’ brother, Val, and Amber began dating after the season wrapped.
Val and Amber attended several public events together before calling it quits in February 2017.
Sometimes, the pros even fall in love!
Now that we’ve made it through all the celebrities who have made a romantic connection, check out all the pros who have found love in the ballroom.
13. Maks Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff
Maks Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff’s relationship was one of the most talked-about romances in the Dancing With the Stars world. The professional dancers dated on and off for several years and even became engaged in 2009 before ultimately calling it quits in 2009.
The remained cordial, even wokring together on the Broadway production Forever Tango.
14. Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Mergatroyd
This wasn’t Maks’ last romance in the ballroom. Maks and fellow pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd’s love story began on the dance floor. After dating on and off, the couple got engaged in 2015 and married in 2017, going on to build a family together. Today, they continue to balance their careers with raising their three children and sharing their life together.
15. Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy found love on the Dancing With the Stars dance floor, after a few years of being in a relationship on-and-off, beginning in 2015.
The couple offically got back together in 2017, got engaged in 2018, and married in 2019. They have since welcomed a son, Rome, together.
16. Emma Slater and Sasha Farber
Emma Slater and Sasha Farber’s relationship was been a fan favorite Dancing With the Stars love story. The two professional dancers first became close friends before their friendship eventually turned romantic, and in 2016, Sasha proposed to Emma in the middle of a live Dancing With the Stars episode, making for one of the show’s most memorable moments.
The couple married in 2018, but later announced their separation in 2022. Despite the end of their marriage, Emma and Sasha have continued to share the dance floor as professional partners and remain an important part of the DWTS family.
17. Emma Slater and Alan Bersten
Following Emma and Sasha’s split, rumors began swirling about a romance brewing between Emma and fellow pro Alan Bersten, who was present at the time of the live proposal!
The two grew close while working together, and their undeniable chemistry on and off the dance floor led fans to wonder if their friendship had turned into something more.They “hard launched” their relationship on the DWTS Live Tour in 2025.
18. Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert
Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert’s love story began on the stage, but not the DWTS stage. They first met when Hayley was hired to dance on Derek and Julianne Hough’s tour in 2014. They began dating in 2015 and quickly became one of dance’s most beloved couples, supporting each other through their careers and performing together for years.
After the tour, Derek encouraged Hayley to audition for DWTS, where she was a member of the troupe from 2015 to 2019. She was also one of the mentoring pros on Dancing With The Stars: Junior.
Hough proposed to Erbert in 2022, and the couple tied the knot in August 2023 in a beautiful wedding surrounded by family and friends. Their journey from dance partners to husband and wife has made them one of the most beloved couples in the DWTS world.
And honorary mention, Artem and Carrie Ann Inaba! The pair dated briefly before Artem became a pro on the show.
Which couple were you surprised by? Or did you know everyone on the list?
