A surprise kiss on ‘DWTS’ stage might’ve just hard-launched a romance fans already suspected
Cupid has once again struck the 'Dancing with the Stars' pro dancers! Renowned for its' unique premise of pairing a celebrity with a professional dancer to win the title, the show has had its share of romance rumors. Now, Emma Slater and Alan Bersten have doubled down on the speculation with their undeniably couple-like behavior. While fans have hypothesized for a long time about the blossoming romance between Slater and Bersten, their shocking action on the show has seemingly confirmed the rumors.
Both Slater and Bersten fueled romance rumors after sharing a kiss during their final dance duet on the series' live 2025 tour's last night at the Rosemont Theatre on April 19, as per E! News. The crowd cheered as Slater and Bersten locked lips, but neither has commented on their relationship. Bersten then shared a photo of their final dance on Instagram, adding to speculation that the longtime colleagues, who have danced together on the show and its tours, might be dating. Rumors have circulated for months, with a fellow performer further fueling the speculation.
@callie.justine Not to be dramatic but watching this live made my entire life #dwts #dancingwiththestars #dwtslive #alanbersten #emmaslater @DWTS Live! ♬ original sound - CJ
'DWTS' pro Ezra Sosa also sparked further speculation about Slater and Bersten's relationship after commenting "FINALLY" on a fan's TikTok video of their onstage kiss, captioned as "the greatest hard launch of all time." Sosa also gained attention the day before by posting a backstage video with fellow pro Gleb Savchenko, as he captioned it, "When we're the only single guys on tour," which only added fuel to the gossip around the dancers' personal lives.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Slater has been romantically linked to someone from the ‘DWTS’ family — she was previously married to fellow pro dancer Sasha Farber, as per Yahoo! Entertainment. The couple began dating in 2011, only to break up in 2014, but reconciled in 2015.
Farber proposed to Slater on live TV during 'DWTS' Season 23, and the couple tied the knot in March 2018 at Bella Blanca in Los Angeles. Fellow 'DWTS' pros Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, and Jenna Johnson were bridesmaids, and Derek Hough was one of Farber's groomsmen. Slater described the wedding day as "absolutely amazing" and "a party" from start to finish, noting, "It went so well, and it was brilliant." However, their fairy tale romance abruptly ended when Slater filed for divorce from Farber in February 2023.
During her appearance on 'The Viall Files' podcast in August 2023, Slater revealed that her divorce from Farber was primarily due to differing views on having children. She explained, "It’s really the kid thing. It’s interesting because I do want to have kids; I just don't want to delay Sasha's path in having kids because I know that he is ready for that." She added, "I don’t want to talk about him too much because that's really for him to say, but it’s about kids."
Slater then clarified that despite the divorce, they still care deeply for each other, saying, "We’re still like family, so it isn’t really like the love is not there; it’s actually not that at all. We're just at potentially two different places." She also acknowledged the emotional complexity of the situation, stating, "The hard part was that the love actually didn’t go [away]."