Throughout Dancing With the Stars’ 16-year history, pros have struck up romances with their partners, other contestants and fellow pros — and while some showmances didn’t stick, others are now happily married with kids.
Gleb Savchenko and Keo Motsepe made headlines in fall of 2020 after they were both linked to season 29 contestant Chrishell Stause. Savchenko was accused of being more than friends with his partner in November 2020, after his wife of 13 years, Elena Samodanova, announced their separation.
Savchenko and the Selling Sunset star denied the allegations, and Stause went Instagram official with Motsepe one month later. Us Weekly confirmed in February 2021 that the pair had split after a whirlwind romance.
Former wrestler Nikki Bella and her season 25 partner, Artem Chigvintsev, got together after they danced together on the ABC series in 2017. Us broke the news in January 2019 that the duo had been dating “for a while” after Bella’s split from John Cena in April 2018.
The pair got engaged in November 2019, and welcomed their first child, son Matteo, in July 2020. Two years later, the E! personality announced that she and Chigvintsev tied the knot in Paris.
Britt Stewart and Daniel Durant
The season 31 partners — who placed 5th in 2022 — began dating after meeting on the show. They debuted their romance via Instagram in February 2023. They announced their engagement before the new year. “Forever!!” Stewart captioned Instagram pics of their Christmas Day proposal. Durant popped the question while on a hike with their parents. “Ending 2023 engaged! I’m still pinching myself,” Stewart later wrote via her Instagram Story. “Love you forever @danielndurant.”
Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko
In May 2022, multiple sources exclusively told Us that the One Tree Hill alum, who was separated from ex-husband Mike Caussin during her stint on the reality series in 2016, hooked up with her pro partner while he was still married to Elena Samodanova. (The Ballroom dancers split in November 2020.)
Kramer’s ex-boyfriend Ian Schinelli later confirmed the affair. “She slept with Gleb. She justified it by saying, ‘We were legally separated,’” he claimed to Us regarding Caussin, who was in rehab for sex addiction at the time. Kramer and the former NFL player called it quits for good in November 2021.)
Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green
The pair began dating in December 2020, nearly one year before they were partnered together on season 30 of DWTS.
“They’ve talked about marriage and future plans for sure. Sharna seems to be the one who wants it to happen sooner than later because she wants to start having kids,” a source told Us in January 2022. “She’s been having baby fever with all the Dancing With the Stars babies — it’s cute to see. She can’t wait to have a family of her own.”
The following month, the pair announced their first pregnancy. In June 2022, the couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy.
Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson
The pros dated on and off in 2016, but sparked reconciliation rumors in July 2017 after showing PDA at Maksim and Murgatroyd’s wedding. Nearly a year later, the duo got engaged in Italy in June 2018. They tied the knot in Los Angeles in April 2019 in front of multiple DWTS pros and past partners. Three years later, Johnson announced in July 2022 that she is pregnant and expecting the couple’s first child. They welcomed their son, Rome, in January 2023.
“I love my Val snuggles. I love just, like, touching him,” Johnson exclusively told Us in September 2020, after the pair moved into their first home. “He always jokes because he’s like, ‘You love to be alone, but with me next to you.’ And it’s so true. So I do miss my hubby!”
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
Us broke the news in January 2019 that the WWE wrestler and the ballroom pro, who were partnered in season 25, have been dating "for a while" following her split from fiancé Cena in April 2018. The pair confirmed their relationship two months later via Instagram.
The Total Bellas star and the Russian dancer got engaged in November 2019 and welcomed their son, Matteo, in July 2020. The couple confirmed in August 2022 that they tied the knot in Paris, with Bella sharing a few snaps from the nuptials on social media.
Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe
After season 29 wrapped, Chrishell Stause — who was partnered with Gleb Savchenko during her time on the show — revealed she was dating pro dancer Keo Motsepe. The pair posted PDA photos via Instagram in December 2020 and on one video shared to his Story, Motsepe wrote, “I will always make you smile @Chrishell.Stause.”
But just a couple of months later the pair went their separate ways, with Us confirming their split at the end of February 2021. Multiple sources told Us that the pair called it quits after Motsepe was "caught in a web of lies."
Another insider revealed that the professional dancer was "super upset" over the breakup and was "still trying to process it."
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd
The duo started dating in 2012, only to split in 2013. However, they reunited in October 2014 and tied the knot in July 2017. She revealed in February 2019 that when she met Maks, the thought of dating him never crossed her mind. They welcomed their sons, Shai and Rio, in January 2017 and June 2023, respectively.
Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson
The ABC stars fell in love while partnered on season 20 in 2015. They tied the knot in July 2016 and welcomed twins Hudson and Haven in June 2018.
Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy
The Pretty Little Liars alum and her season 19 partner sparked dating rumors when they were photographed holding hands in 2014. Their onstage chemistry was so believable that Access made the two take a lie detector test, where they were asked about their supposed romance. Though the couple claimed that they’ve never gone on a date, they did admit to sharing a meal together. When asked if he’s ever kissed his partner, Chmerkovskiy responded, “Her face is just so small and her lips are so big that anywhere I’m going to kiss is going to land on her lips.” Parrish married her boyfriend Chris Long in Hawaii in 2018.
Alan Bersten and Alexis Ren
Turning up the heat! The Instagram model revealed her feelings for Bersten in October 2018 during season 27. One week later, Bersten admitted that he was also "falling" for Ren. The couple ended their showmance that December, though a source told Us, "They are still talking and still consider each other friends. ... They are open to whatever the future might hold."
Sasha Farber and Emma Slater
The ballroom duo broke up in 2014 after three years of dating. They reconciled shortly after and Farber popped the question in October 2016, after the pair performed an intimate duet, and tied the knot in March 2018. The duo called it quits for good in August 2022 and Slater filed for divorce six months later, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. 
Val Chmerkovisky and Amber Rose
The ballroom dancer met Rose while she was partnered with his brother Maksim on season 23 in 2016. The pair started dating in September of that year, only to split five months later. “We lead very different lives and unfortunately it didn’t work out between us but what does that even mean?” Val wrote via Instagram in February 2017. “Maybe it worked out perfectly. I will continue to support her, praise her and defend her.”
Peta Murgatroyd and James Maslow
The duo, who were partnered on season 18 in 2014, had a history before taking the stage together. “I actually met James once before for dinner,” Murgatroyd revealed during a video package at the time. “We kind of hit it off. I thought he was a good looking guy and then he went away on tour for two weeks and I didn’t see him until he walked into the studio.”
Murgatroyd, who wed fellow pro Maksim Cherkovisky in July 2017, added that she and Maslow were “keeping things professional.”
Mark Ballas and Pia Toscano
Toscano is "totally [Ballas'] type: gorgeous and a musician," a source previously told Us of the pair, who were partnered on season 12 in 2011. "They have a strong mutual attraction and are very flirty, but they are not officially dating. It's very casual," a Ballas pal told Us in 2011. The couple called it quits in September 2011, five months after they first stepped out together.
Lacey Schwimmer and Mike Catherwood
"They started hooking up almost immediately when rehearsals began," an insider told Us of the pro and her radio DJ partner in 2011. Their romance fizzled out not long after filming ended.
Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke
The football star and his pro partner packed on the PDA during their 2010 DWTS run. Ochocino even gifted Burke with a $10,000 diamond ring as a thank you for helping him learn to shake and shimmy. Burke later told Ellen DeGeneres that the pair “had a fling” while filming, but it didn’t last long.
Derek Hough and Shannon Elizabeth
After romancing on season 6, the former partners dated for more than a year but called it quits in 2009. "We love & care about each other very much," she later tweeted.
Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks
They heated up the dance floor on season 9 but split in 2009. "It's a good thing for us right now," she told Us at the time.
Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke
A 2008 tabloid report claiming the season 2 partners had an affair was "completely false," his rep told Us.
Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff
After dating on-and-off for two years, the season 3 partners split in 2008. He later called her a "phenomenal and talented woman."
Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough
Romance rumors sparked for the season 5 champs after he smooched her on-air and split from his fianceé a few months after she called off her own engagement to Zach Wilson.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff
The professional partners got engaged in December 2008 but called it off in 2009. C'est "la vie," he tweeted at the time.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Willa Ford
Although she has admitted they were "definitely close" during season 3, she denied romance rumblings. "The show loved to fuel the relationship," she has said.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Erin Andrews
The season 10 performers denied romance rumors, but he Maks told Us in 2011, "I have gotten to know her little vices, and she knows mine. She knows all my buttons to push, and she pushes them!"
Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas
"When I walked into the rehearsal hall the first day and found out who my partner was, it was so exciting," she said of her season 5 partner, whom she called "Marky Baby." They split in 2007, shortly after competing together that fall.
Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
He denied that he and his season 9 partner were ever an item: "We are two people who like to be out and about, and if it were true, you would have seen us out together already!"
