DWTS Champ Says Crush on Derek Hough May Have Led to an ‘Affair’

Heavy/Getty A DWTS alum says she would have had an affair with Derek Hough.

On season 7 of “Dancing With the Stars,” Derek Hough was partnered with Brooke Burke and the two went on to win a Mirrorball Trophy — Hough’s first on the show.

In a new interview, Burke opened up about her partnership with Hough and admits that she probably would have had an affair with him if she was single at the time.

“I was crushing on Derek for sure,” Burke said on the October 9, 2023, episode of Cheryl Burke’s “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast. “Had I not been married? I would have actually hoped we would have had a love affair,” she added. Interestingly, Cheryl Burke revealed that Hough found Brooke Burke “hot.”

Brooke Burke went on to explain why she had developed a crush on Hough. “You are intertwined with someone’s body, when you’re not a dancer. There is no way that I have ever been so connected — besides with a lover or a husband — than I was with Derek. And it’s every single day,” she added. Brooke Burke said that there can be moments that are “more intimate than making love.”

At the time, Burke was married to David Charvet. The two split in 2018, 10 years after Burke’s stint on “Dancing With the Stars.” Burke was previously married to Garth Fisher.

Here’s what you need to know:

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough Went to Therapy Together

When Burke and Hough first started working together, Burke says that things didn’t go great. In chatting with Cheryl Burke, Brooke Burke said that it was more like “life coach therapy” and admitted it was “part of the show.”

“We just weren’t connected,” Brooke Burke explained. “We weren’t gelling. We were having issues, you know, off camera in rehearsal. He was exhausted. He was recording an album at night. I had a 3-month-old baby. I was fried,” she continued.

“We weren’t meeting each other in a place that was serving us,” she added. But after therapy? The two learned to communicate better. “Something magical happened. We found faith in each other, at least I did, and we decided to win,” Brooke Burke said.

Brooke Burke Returned to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ as a Host

A couple of years after winning the Mirrorball Trophy, Brooke Burke returned to the ballroom, but not to compete. She was brought on to co-host the show with Tom Bergeron.

Brooke Burke served as co-host for a few seasons (10 through 17). Just ahead of season 18, production made a change and Brooke Burke learned that she was going to be replaced.

Erin Andrews took over as the show’s co-host and was on the show alongside Bergeron until both were let go in 2020. At that time, Tyra Banks was brought on as the new host. In an interview on the “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast in April 2022, Brooke Burke weighed in on how she felt about Banks as the “Dancing With the Stars” host.

“It’s tough, it’s a live show. And I know those live tapings are a struggle behind the scenes. You know, she’s a diva,” she said, adding, “Everybody knows she’s a diva. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not saying anything bad about her.”

“Your pros are the divas, your winner, your perfect-10-score dancer who’s never done it, that defines diva in the ballroom,” Brooke Burke continued.

“I think that show requires a lot of compassion and loving kindness, especially as the host. I don’t really need to say it, I think it was a tough transition. Change is hard. It’s hard for everyone. They’ve gone through a lot on that show, that’s for sure,” she said.

“You’re just not the star as the host, it’s not about you as the host. So, yeah, I think Tyra’s great in a shining role, I’ll just say that,” she concluded.

Banks was replaced on season 32 with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough.

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