9 Couples Who Found Love on Dancing with the Stars
"I actually called the executive producer right after our first meet[ing] and I even said, 'Wow, this girl's incredible.' Actually, I said that I think I'm in love."
For some celebs, it’s love at first dance — at least for those who have met on the set of “Dancing With The Stars.” Throughout the show’s 31 seasons, numerous couples have found love on the dance floor. While some of those relationships are short-lived “showmances,” other “DWTS” couples have actually gone on to walk down the aisle and say “I do.” Even if these dancers don’t end up winning the mirror ball trophy, they walk away with something even better!
Find out which couples found love on “Dancing With The Stars”…
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1. Daniel Durant & Britt Stewart
In 2022, “CODA” actor Daniel Durant competed on “DWTS” alongside pro Britt Stewart — and now they’re dating. The couple confirmed the happy news in Valentine’s Day posts in February. While Britt posted a video of the duo set to Montell Fish’s “Fall in Love with You,” Daniel opted for a selfie.
“My Valentine. ♥️ Happy Valentine’s Day!” Daniel wrote.
2. Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvinstev
It was love at first sight for “DWTS” pro Artem Chigvinstev. He says he fell for his now-wife Nikki Bella the moment he met her in the dance studio. Since she was in a relationship at the time, the couple were just friends for a while but Artem still says meeting Nikki is still one of his favorite memories.
“I actually called the executive producer right after our first meet[ing] and I even said, ‘Wow, this girl’s incredible.’ Actually, I said that I think I’m in love. I didn’t really understand what it meant for me at the time, but it’s just kind of like when you meet the certain person that you don’t really understand how you feel yet, you have this overwhelming — a lot of feelings and you don’t know how to cope with it,” Artem said on “The Bellas Podcast.”
The duo went on to begin dating in early 2019, get engaged later that year, and then welcomed their first child in 2020.
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3. Peta Murgatroyd & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy first met while working on Broadway together but it wasn’t until they were both featured as pro dancers on “DWTS” that they truly connected. At the time, Maks was engaged to fellow “DWTS” pro Karina Smirnoff and Peta was dating another dancer. By 2012, they were both single and began hanging out. While they admit they don’t quite have an official first date, their first dinner together was all because of “DWTS.”
“I feel like we didn’t actually have an official first date, because…it was funny, I was just a bit worried about a situation on the second season of ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ And he said, ‘Do you want to talk about it over dinner?'” Peta told Health magazine.
The pair went on to date, and although they did break up once, they eventually got back together and tied the knot.
4. Val Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson
Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s brother Val also fell in love with his wife Jenna Johnson because of “DWTS.” The couple first met when Jenna joined the show as a troupe member in 2014. Looking back, Jenna says it was love at first sight.
“The first time I saw him, actually my first day of rehearsal after I finished ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ I was the only new person joining the cast. I’ll never forget it. I walked into the cabin and I was so nervous and he was one of the first people I saw and he came up and tried to introduce himself and I was like, ‘Oh gosh! He’s the one!'”
The couple began dating the following year and although they briefly split, they ended up back together and got engaged in 2018. The two tied the knot in 2019, and welcomed their first child in January.
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5. Robert Herjavec & Kym Johnson
During Season 20 of “DWTS,” pro Kym Johnson was partnered with Robert Herjavec and the duo grew pretty close during the course of the competition. By the end of their run on the show, the pair were an item but Robert says he had to ask out Kym more than once to get her to say yes!
“We were really good friends for a long time, throughout the whole process and it wasn’t until the very end [that we got together]. I asked her out once and she turned me down. It took a lot for me to ask her out again. You spend a lot of time with somebody, you spend 10, 11 hours a day together, you get pretty close to somebody,” Robert said during an interview with Cheddar.
6. Sasha Farber & Emma Slater
Sasha Farber and Emma Slater were both professional dancers on “DWTS” when they met. Although things didn’t turn romantic right away, Sasha says he knew Emma was the one “three or four months” after they met. The pair even got engaged on the show in 2018 before tying the knot two years later. Unfortunately, the couple ended up separating in 2022.
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7. Val Chmerkovskiy & Amber Rose
During Val Chmerkovskiy’s split from Jenna Johnson, he briefly dated his celebrity partner Amber Rose. Their relationship only lasted five months but following the split, both Val and Amber shared that they enjoyed their time together.
“She’s an amazing woman that I feel very lucky to have gotten to know and love. An amazing mother, an awesome friend, a loving human period. Reserved, poised, and loyal…We both lead very different lives and unfortunately it didn’t work out between us…I will continue to support her, praise her, and defend her against any narrow minded individual that dares to question her integrity as a woman, a friend, and most importantly, the incredible mother that she is to her son!” Val wrote in a now-deleted post.
8. Karina Smirnoff & Mario Lopez
During Season 3 of “DWTS,” dancer Karina Smirnoff was partnered with Mario Lopez and a romance blossomed. Looking back, Karina says the pair had an immediate connection even though they initially tried not to fall for each other.
“I thought that he was extremely hot and charming,” she told People. “We actually tried to fight the attraction as long as we could. But obviously, that didn’t last too long at all.”
The pair went on to date for two years, but their relationship unfortunately ended when Mario admitted to cheating on Karina.
9. Karina Smirnoff & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Following Karina Smirnoff’s split from Mario Lopez, she began seeing fellow “DWTS” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The pair even got engaged in 2009, but they ultimately didn’t make it down the aisle. They called things off in September of that year, reportedly because they had different feelings about starting a family.
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