The ‘Dancing with the Stars’ judge and ‘American Idol’ host dated for three years, from 2010 to 2013

Julianne Hough is opening up about her past relationship struggles.

During a recent interview on the “Armchair Expert” podcast, with host Dax Shepard, Hough explained what led to her breakup with Ryan Seacrest, after three years of dating.

The couple began dating when Hough was just starting her career, while Seacrest had already established himself in the industry. Hough explained it felt like “the rug was swept up from underneath me,” and she was suddenly exposed to things she “didn’t even know existed.”

“I had this insecurity that I was like, ‘I don’t ever want anybody to think that I’m with him for this reason.’ And so I then started playing smaller. I know that that was his experience in past situations and stuff, and so I again overcompensated, [I] was malleable to fit into exactly what somebody needed me to be for them to be happy.”

Hough said overcompensating for her insecurities led to her breakup with Seacrest. (MEGA/GC Images | Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

Shepard sympathized with the “Dancing with the Stars” judge’s predicament, acknowledging it must have been hard feeling like people thought she was dating him to get more exposure.

Seacrest and Hough first met when she was a guest on his radio show; however, she was in a relationship with musician Chuck Wicks at the time. Following her breakup with Wicks, she and Seacrest began dating in the summer of 2010 and were together for three years before their 2013 breakup.

“I then started playing smaller. I know that that was his experience in past situations and stuff, and so I again overcompensated, [I] was malleable to fit into exactly what somebody needed me to be for them to be happy.”

— Julianne Hough

“I remember when I decided to break things off, I had a lot of these Brentwood moms and producers in that world that were like, ‘What are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ They’re like, ‘Your life is completely set up.’ And I was like, ‘But I didn’t build it,’” she said. “I was like, ‘I need to create this. Competitively, it’s not mine. I need to feel the pride of doing it.’”

Looking back, Hough realized her actions during her relationship with the “American Idol” host were “a repeated pattern” and that she’s unsure if she’s “ever truly been in love with someone.” She explained she has “loved the feeling of being loved” and is always willing to do whatever she needs to receive love.

Seacrest and Hough dated for three years, from 2010 to 2013. (Barry King/FilmMagic)

“And then because I’m so filled with love from someone, of course I love you. I love everyone,” she said. “I’ve been in love with everyone I’ve ever dated, but have I? I don’t want to overanalyze it, because every person I’ve also dated has been a very good person.”

A short time after her relationship with Seacrest ended, Hough began dating former professional hockey player Brooks Laich. The couple hit it off instantly and were married four years later, in July 2017.

Despite having great love for each other, the marriage didn’t work out, and the couple announced their separation in May 2020, although she revealed she asked for the separation in September 2019.

Their divorce was finalized in June 2022. When speaking with Shepard, Hough explained Laich was slowing down in his career while she was speeding up, saying, “He was contracting while I was expanding. We just couldn’t find each other in that.”

Hough and Laich separated in September 2019 and finalized their divorce in 2022. (Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images for dOMAIN Integrated)

“I feel like our relationship and our marriage was exactly right, and the end of it is right, too,” she said. “We both have regrets that it didn’t work out, because I don’t think we had the maturity to come together.”