Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich appear to be going through a rough patch in their marriage.
A source revealed to E! News that the former Dancing With the Stars pro and her professional Canadian hockey player husband have been “spending time apart” lately. The news comes after over two years since the couple tied the knot. The couple wed in front of friends and family in a breathtaking outdoor ceremony near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in July 2017. Yet, it appears the couple is now working through something in their relationship.
“They have been spending time apart but are not ready to share what’s going on between them,” the source told E! News. “They don’t even really know what to call it. There’s a ton of love and emotion there and they are going through something very personal.”
The source added: “She’s been very private about this time in her life and is not making any kind of official announcement. She is honoring her work commitments, as is he, and it’s kept them apart. But things have definitely changed in their relationship.”
This information appears just days after Laich shared a personal post about reflection on Instagram, where he pointed out that he’s “always working on becoming a better man.”
“As the new year inches closer, I’m doing some reflecting, and some looking ahead. I’m always working on becoming a better man, a better version of me, and it always starts with a vision of who that person is,” the athlete wrote. “Knowing where I am, and where I want to go, are equally important.”
He continued: “So I share these words for anyone else out there on a similar journey ahead of the new year. It’s a new decade coming, a new sense of hope and opportunity – and a chance to step into an improved version of you. You must believe you are, before you can become. Once the belief is set, the path reveals itself. So, much love to all of you taking the time to pour love into yourself, and striving for betterment – I’m with you all the way, and wish you all the best!!”
The same day he posted that message, he also shared via Instagram Story about his goals for 2020. He filled in the blanks on a template and wrote that he wants to be more “open to all things and present in my relationships.” Laich also put down that he wants to learn more “about intimacy and my sexuality.”
On Tuesday, the athlete returned to the social media channel to discuss more about his new chapter in life.
“In 2020 I look forward to releasing old identities, and stepping into a new chapter in my life. I find myself wanting to officially say the words ‘I retire’ from professional hockey, instead of vehemently resisting it as I have been for the last 2 years,” he captioned his post. “I feel a new stage of life calling me, and though I don’t exactly know what it is yet, it feels right, and exciting!”
Last year in August, Hough opened up about her relationship with her husband and connecting with her “most authentic self” to Women’s Health.
“I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn’t need anything, versus the little girl that looked to him to protect me,” the former Dancing With the Stars pro told the publication. “I was like, ‘Is he going to love this version of me?’ But the more I dropped into my most authentic self, the more attracted he was to me. Now we have a more intimate relationship.”
“I [told him], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’ And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you,'” Hough recollected. “I think there’s a safety with my husband now that I’m unpacking all of this, and there’s no fear of voicing things that I’ve been afraid to admit or that I’ve had shame or guilt about because of what I’ve been told or how I was raised.”
The couple has faced plenty of hardships over the last few years. In late 2019, Hough and Laich mourned the loss of their beloved pets Lexi and Harley.
“I’ve never experienced a love like ours,” Hough wrote in a tribute to her furry family members. “I miss you I love you forever.”
Laich also posted his own tribute, “Their tragic passing has left my wife and I heartbroken. Lexi and Harley were not just pets to us, they were our children, and we loved them as such.”
“Thank you to my wife for allowing me to share in their world, and trusting me to be their dad,” Laich wrote in the October post. “I wasn’t perfect, but I loved them with every ounce of my heart.”
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Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.