‘DWTS’ contestant says she was tempted to start an affair with pro Derek Hough: ‘Had I not been married...’

Things got steamy during Cheryl Burke's 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' podcast, all thanks to this ‘DWTS’ alum
PUBLISHED JUL 17, 2025
Dancer Derek Hough at the Television Academy's cocktail reception for The 67th Emmy Award Nominees for Outstanding Choreography at Montage Beverly Hills. (Cover Image Source: Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Dancer Derek Hough at the Television Academy's cocktail reception for The 67th Emmy Award Nominees for Outstanding Choreography at Montage Beverly Hills. (Cover Image Source: Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

DWTS’ pro Derek Hough certainly has the looks to die for, and Brooke Burke can second that! The latter appeared on ABC’s dance reality show for season 7 and was paired with the OG pro dancer. The duo made it to the finale and lifted the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, so fans clearly loved their partnership and chemistry. Perhaps because Brooke, who was married to David Charvet at the time, was “crushing” hard on Hough and was even tempted to start an affair. During her appearance on Cheryl Burke's 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' podcast, Brooke made this shocking admission. “I was crushing on Derek, for sure,” she confessed.

“Had I not been married. I would have actually hoped we would have had a love affair,” Brooke continued. Cheryl was surprised by this revelation and alleged that Hough often told her that he found Brooke “hot.” If only she were single and the pro dancer was expressing, their onscreen chemistry would have transitioned irl! “I would have had an affair with him,” Brooke added. She further explained the reason she was attracted to 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,” she explained.

They danced extremely close to one another every day for three months. It may be normal for dancers, but not so much for the celebrity contestants. “Why do you think people fall in love? You smell them, you feel them, you're breathing with them,” she added. “If you're really connected. If you have energy, you're doing this dance and you're in the rhythm, and then there's trust, then you're sharing fear, you're doing something you've never done,” Brooke continued. She stressed that there’s a reason why partners on the show fall in love for real.

Derek Hough performs at the 'Julianne and Derek Hough: MOVE - Beyond - Live On Tour' at Radio City Music Hall. (Cover Image Source:  Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Derek Hough performs at the 'Julianne and Derek Hough: MOVE - Beyond - Live On Tour' at Radio City Music Hall. (Cover Image Source: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Cheryl didn’t find it to be a big deal, especially for the dancers who are quick to ask their partners to “lose my number” once the season ends. Then they come back to the show with a brand new celebrity as a partner. Nevertheless, ‘DWTS’ was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Brooke. “I've had one experience with one person like that. Life-changing,” she added. Brooke also admitted that she and Hough didn’t hit it off right away. But working with a life coach throughout their time on the show helped them gel together and ultimately win the title.


 
 
 
 
 
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She revealed that both of them came on the show with a different purpose in mind, and winning wasn’t one of them. Brooke wanted to “get to know America in a different way.” Whereas Hough just thought of the show as a great gig for a dancer. “I knew his young mind. I knew he wasn't competing to win. I knew it was an opportunity for both of us,” she added. It was the life coach who guided them towards a common purpose: winning the show. “The life coach said, 'You're both here, and you're committed to being here, you might as well frickin' get in it to win it.' And we were like, 'Oh,'” Brooke recalled. And the rest is history!

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