Heavy/Getty/ABC Emma Slater
The wife of “Dancing With the Stars” alum Mauricio Umansky admits she had a hard time watching one of his dances with pro dancer Emma Slater.
Umansky was partnered with Slater for the 32nd season of the ABC dancing competition two months after confirming his separation from Kyle Richards, who is a star on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
During the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” season 13 reunion, Richards reacted to a fan comment about Umansky’s Most Memorable Year dance with Slater. The “suggestive” contemporary was dedicated to Richards. The viewer noted that “the intimacy of the dance and the dedication to Kyle were 100 percent an ‘f you’ to Kyle done specifically by Mauricio to get under her skin.”
“All of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is suggestive,” chimed in co-star Erika Jayne, who competed on the show in season 24. But Richards admitted she still struggled with her estranged husband’s steamy routine. “It was very hard for me to watch,” she said.
The Bravo star also reacted to photos of Umansky and Slater holding hands after having dinner together in Beverly Hills last fall. Richards told RHOBH reunion host Andy Cohen it did “not feel good” to see the photos. “We are separated, we’re allowed to do what we want, each of us,” she added. “It’s weird because we live together in the same house. So it’s sort of like ‘What are you doing?’”
Richards previously appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” and said she was “taken aback” by the photo of her husband and Slater holding hands. “The thing is this, I don’t know if anything’s happened yet. But obviously, there’s something there.”
Umansky and Slater denied that they had a romantic relationship.
Kyle Richards Would Have Never Allowed Mauricio to Do DWTS If They Weren’t Separated
Elsewhere during the RHOBH reunion, Cohen said he never would have dreamed that Umansky would join “Dancing with the Stars.” “It just seemed so out of character,” the Bravo host said of The Agency founder.
Richards’ sister Kathy Hilton agreed with Cohen. “That’s when I thought, ‘There is no way in hell that Kyle would’ve okayed that,’” she said during the reunion.
Richards confirmed she would have never allowed it. “The thing is that if our marriage was in the place it used to be, I would never had said yes,” she admitted. “But I was like, ‘Okay.'”
After Hilton noted, “Let me ask you why though. It’s not like you would be jealous or anything,” Richards clarified, “Oh yes I would. Yes, I would have.”
In October 2023, Umansky, 53, told TMZ that the celebrity dancing show was helping to get him through the “stress” of his split from Richards. “’Dancing With the Stars’ has been amazing. It’s been super therapeutic, it’s made me feel like a kid,” he said. “I feel like I’m 15 years old right now. I’m having the time of my life. And it’s been really good for me to be dancing while dealing with all of the stress and everything I’m going through. ‘Dancing with the Stars’ actually could not have come at a better time.”
Mauricio Umansky Said He’s Not Dating Anyone
GettyKyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky.
On his Netflix series “Buying Beverly Hills” scene, Umansky detailed the “rules” of his separation from Richards. Speaking with daughters Farrah, Alexia, and Sophia, he said he tried “everything possible” to save the marriage.
“Your mom came and she talked to me and said, ‘I think I need space,’” he shared. “She said to me, ‘Listen, the rules are, you go out, you date, you do whatever it is you want to do. I’m not going to be asking you what you’re doing, I don’t want you to be asking me what I’m doing. We are separated.’”
But in March 2024, Umansky told E! News he is not dating anyone. “I’m spending a lot of time by myself and kind of getting to learn myself and enjoy myself,” he revealed. “I’ve been enjoying that process. I’m not in a rush to do anything at the moment. Not in a rush—period. I am enjoying the journey and I’m learning from myself.”
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