Julianne Hough reacts to ex Brooks Laich’s engagement

Julianne Hough congratulated her ex-husband Brooks Laichafter the announcement of his engagement to Katrin Tanya Davidsdottir.

Laich, a former Los Angeles Kings player, and Hugh, a Dancing With the Stars co-host, tied the knot in June 2017. However, in December 2019 rumors began to swirl about problems in their relationship after Hough was spotted without her engagement ring. In January 2020, it was confirmed that the couple “had problems”.

Brooks Laich and Kathryn Tanya Davidsdotty’s romance first made headlines in the summer of 2021, just over a year after Laich and Julianne Hough publicly announced their separation in May 2020 after nearly three years of marriage.

Laich and Davidsdottir announced their happy news in a joint Instagram post on Dec. 27, sharing that they got engaged on Dec. 16. The candid gallery features four gorgeous photos of the couple embracing, their joy evident as Laich snapped Davidsdóttir into a playful and romantic pose.

“Forever feeling right with you,” the couple captioned the post on social media.

Within 30 minutes of Laich and Davidsdottir sharing their engagement announcement on Instagram, Julianne Gough took the time to send her warm wishes to the happy couple. “Congratulations (outline emoji) I’m so happy for you both as you embark on this beautiful new chapter together,” she wrote. “Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter and endless adventures! (red heart emoji).”

Despite their past, Hugh’s message of support underscores the sense of mutual respect and closeness between the ex-husband and wife as Laich begins a new chapter with Davidsdottir.

After the breakup, Hugh and Leigh managed to maintain a sense of mutual respect and support even as they moved on.

Soon after the initial separation of the couplethe insider said Us Weekly that Derek “had no animosity” towards Laich. The source added: “He could see that they were figuring themselves out as individuals and that they weren’t right as a couple, but that didn’t take away from their love for Brooks as a person.”

That connection became apparent when Laich served as best man at Derek’s wedding in August 2023. Additionally, Hayley Erbert, Derek’s wife, expressed her joy at Laich’s engagement to Davidsdottir, commenting on their announcement on Instagram: “So happy for you two (white heart emoji).”

In an interview with Women’s healthHough opened up about her sexuality and shared details of a candid conversation with her then-husband Laich.

“I (said to him), ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’ And he said, “I’m sorry, what?” I said, “I’m not.” But I choose to be with you.” she said at the time. “I think my husband is safe now that I’m unpacking all of this and there’s no fear of speaking up about things I was afraid to admit or felt ashamed or guilty about because of what I was told or how I was raised “.

During an appearance on the Jamie Kern Lima podcast, Hough reflected on her journey of self-discovery regarding her sexuality. The former Dancing with the Stars pro-turned-host shared that at first she “didn’t know what (she) was attracted to,” but ultimately decided to stay committed to her then-husband Laich.

“Coming out is one of the most vulnerable and empowering things. For me, it’s not about being natural or gay or queer; it’s more about learning what love is, and I love people,” she said, pro Us Weekly. “It’s this freedom of love that I started to feel when I saw people, because I was able to remove the layer of protection instead of being so internal.”

Hough added: “So I started seeing people and seeing their hearts and seeing their beauty and their essence. I was like, “Wow, I love people, and I don’t know if it’s sexual attraction or that attraction, but I just see people.” It was, like, such a beautiful revelation.”