Heavy/Getty/ABC Emma Slater.
Emma Slater has a favorite castmate on “Dancing With the Stars” – and it’s not any of her fellow pro dancers or her ex-husband, Sasha Farber.
In a June 2024 interview with Reality Tea, the veteran “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer was asked to name her favorite star on the ABC dancing show who wasn’t one of her partners.
Slater didn’t hesitate to name the show’s current host. “Alfonso Ribiero!” she told the outlet. “No brainer. Him and his wife are family to me, he’s like my brother.”
Ribeiro and his wife, Angela, traditionally host Thanksgiving dinner for the “Dancing with the Stars” cast members who don’t have family nearby. In November, Slater posted an Instagram photo from Thanksgiving 2023 in which she posed with a large group at Ribeiro’s house, including DWTS pals Alan Bersten, Peta Murgatroyd, Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, and more.
“Happy Thanksgiving from the @dancingwiththestars crew,” Slater captioned the photo, adding, “Thank you to my best friends @mrsangelaribeiro1 & @therealalfonsoribeiro for this tradition.”
Ribeiro won the 19th season of “Dancing With the Stars” with Witney Carson before being named co-host of the show in 2022.
Emma Slater is Close With Other DWTS Regulars
While Ribeiro is one of her best friends, Slater is close with many other regulars on “Dancing with the Stars,” including fellow pro Britt Stewart. In 2023, Slater posted a photo of Stewart hugging her. “Grateful for her friendship. Hope everyone finds their very own @brittbenae in life ☺️🥰,” she wrote, before asking fans to tag their besties.
Slater has also described her chummy relationship with handsome DWTS pro Gleb Savchenko as “a beautiful friendship.”
She is also super close with DWTS dancers Witney Carson, Lindsay Arnold, and Hayley Erbert, who were all bridesmaids in her 2018 wedding to Farber, per Us Weekly.
Slater and Farber divorced in February 2023, according to E! News, but they remain close. “He’s somebody who’s in my life forever,” Slater told Us Weekly of her ex-husband in June 2024. “It’s a true genuine connection and he’s the best person, just absolutely amazing. We just get on really, really well.”
Emma Slater Keeps In Touch With Most of Her DWTS Partners
ABCEMMA SLATER, MAURICIO UMANSKY
Slater has been partnered with 15 celebrity men on “Dancing With the Stars” since 2013. She won the mirror ball trophy in season 24 with former NFL star Rashad Jennings.
Slater told Reality Tea that she still talks to most of her partners, although some more than others. “I keep in touch with almost all of them!” she said. “The ones that I still stay in good contact with are James Van Der Beek, Rashad Jennings, and Mauricio Umansky.”
She added that Bill Engvall, who was her first DWTS partner when she made her debut as a pro dancer in 2013, always holds a “special place” in her heart.
In a 2022 interview with Atlantic City Weekly, Slater was asked to name her all-time favorite DWTS partner. “My favorite partner was Rashad Jennings, who was an NFL running back for the New York Giants,” she shared. “He was just the nicest guy, and we ended up winning, which of course makes it so much better. We really clicked, and we became fantastic friends and still are today.”
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