Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich: How a marriage battered by rumors proved that love does triumph
As the entire planet continues to stay quarantined, singles have complained about how exhausting the process of Facetime dates and the lack of a beau to curl up to is getting. Couples, on the other hand, have complained about how frustrating it can get to stay locked up indoors with their partners 24x7, but for Julianne Hough and her husband Brooks Laich, that's not the case.
Taking their love for things they enjoy on an individual level, Hough and Laich are social distancing miles apart — simply because their preferred scenery are poles apart. While Hough is in LA, as reported by Entertainment Tonight, Laich is enjoying the Idaho countryside — only further reminding us how despite the rumor mill trying to come between them, the two continue to have the most unique relationship of all times.
With rumors suggesting a split, ET's source tells the outlet how Hough and Laich are braving this 'very hard time', as "They've been working on their marriage and being apart is not easy." But that makes sense because if reports are to be believed, the pair has been into each other's magnetic charm right from the start.
It all began when Laich, 34, spotted Hough, 28, in a gum commercial and asked his actor friend Teddy Sears where he could find a girl like that. Soon after, while filming a never-released film with Hough in 2014, Sears invited Laich over to Los Angeles and thus sparked a romance that braved long-distance and relied on phone sex — an 'art' that Hough was self-admittedly really bad at.
But there were a million other things on their list of what they enjoyed together: athletics, outdoors, and being a treat to the eyes barely scratch the surface of that list. And then there was the 2017 wedding, cut straight out of one of those Disney picture storybooks — where the bride and groom arrived in vintage boats and Laich got so teary-eyed that married women around the world must have been jealous.
Probably that's what jinxed their picture-perfect marriage, because soon Hough opened up about how her personal growth through her endometriosis diagnosis impacted her relationship. In 2019, Hough opened up about her diagnosis, which she had reportedly kept a secret from Laic so far. Speaking with Women's Health Magazine at the time, she shared how the transformation — even though having driven her to reconnect with herself and become more independent — did lead to worries as to whether Laich would be able to “vibe with her evolution”.
Trust their relationship to have braved that unique personal growth where Hough was finally able to evolve from being a 'little girl' looking at Laich to 'protect' her. Hough opened up to the outlet about the ups and downs, and the highs and lows that this path brought to their relationship, adding: "Now we have a more intimate relationship," she added. "... I [told Laich], 'You know I'm not straight, right?' And he was like, 'I'm sorry, what?' I was like, 'I'm not. But I choose to be with you.'"
Known for their adorable Instagram posts, the former 'Dancing with the Stars' judge and the professional hockey player have always been solid relationship goals on social media. But soon after coming out as not straight, fans noticed how their loved up mush posts gushing about each other were becoming scarce on their personal accounts. The heartbreaking aftermath of that was sources claiming they were 'spending some time apart' — leaving the entire world wondering if the relationship could survive all of that at once.
From spending 2019's Christmas an entire ocean apart to Hough ditching her wedding ring during a festive appearance during the holidays, and while hosting NBC’s New Year’s Eve 2020 event — the marriage saw the two spend a lot of time apart that year. While Hough stepped into 2020 joining Oprah Winfrey as a part of her "Live Your Best Life" tour, Laich stayed home indulging in his podcast.
It was there that he ended up admitting how he hasn't been "100 percent present" in his relationship and also addressed his sexuality — something that shoved their marriage further into speculations of a split.
Having been through such a massive transformation, Hough admitted she and Laich had "matured into different people". While she was a much freer spirit, it was reportedly getting a bit too much to handle for Laich. But after many months apart, when the couple finally reunited in March, it was obvious that there was nothing to worry about. The tight embrace they shared at the airport offered some much-needed hope for fans rooting for the couple.
And even though there have been some cryptic posts back and forth on Instagram, suggesting they are still trying to be their best version of themselves for one another — and loving each other for everything they are as an individual — their marriage survived the rumor mill like a pro. When the two stepped out to grab a bite last month, things looked better than ever — something that quarantining separately hopefully can't tamper.