The Real Reason Julianne Hough And Chuck Wicks Broke Up

Professional dancer, actress, and singer Julianne Hough announced her split from husband of three years Brooks Laich in May 2020 after months of speculation that their relationship was on the rocks. Whispers of a breakup began when Hough made headlines after revealing to Women's Health that she's "not straight" and her husband knows.

"I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn't need anything, versus the little girl that looked to him to protect me," she recalled of the decision to tell Laich. "I was like, 'Is he going to love this version of me?' But the more I dropped into my most authentic self, the more attracted he was to me." she confirmed. The same year, Laich told the How Men Think podcast (via Refinery 29) that he was also exploring his sexuality, but in terms of what can be improved.

While some guessed there was more behind the above mentioned revelations, breakup rumors really started flowing when Hough went on national television to host NBC's 2019 New Year's Eve special without a wedding ring. This was followed by reports that Hough and Laich were quarantining separately during the coronavirus pandemic, with an insider telling People that the pair had lived "separate lives" for quite some time.

With the divorce announcement being Hough's biggest relationship change since her wedding, most would think that this part of Hough's love life would be most interesting to her fans. Instead, Hough's old relationship with Chuck Wicks is making headlines now. Here's why.

While Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough made their breakup seem amicable for the cameras, it turns out that the split wasn't so smooth. Wicks brought up his separation from the Dancing with the Stars alumna on the Dec. 14, 2020 episode of his Talk to Chuck podcast and he painted a disagreeable picture.

"You go out there, we're both loving life, we're on a high because we're both, our careers were going great," he recalled about the relationship (per E! News). "You know, we bought a house together, did all these things and then out of nowhere you find out that they're not the person that you thought they were and you break up." He also wrestled with the memory of lying about why they split during interviews on the 2009 CMA red carpet. At the time, the pair made a "pact" to make their breakup look amicable.

"I'm not going to throw anybody under the bus, but it wasn't my fault," Wicks continued on the podcast. "So you find yourself when you're in love, everything's great, people are loving watching you on Instagram, oh this is the perfect couple, couple goals and all this stuff. But then, man, if something goes wrong you gotta face that too," he warned. At the time of the breakup, a source told People that the pair mutually split and "needed time apart." Now, it's clear the breakup was far from agreeable.