Julianne Hough Shares Details About Her First Date with Ryan Seacrest

Julianne Hough has disclosed more about her three-year relationship with Ryan Seacrest, reflecting on their time together during a recent appearance.

During the Sunday, August 18 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Hough, 36, shared with host Andy Cohen where she and Seacrest, 49, went on their first date.

“I think it was like Polo Lounge or something,” Hough reminisced, referring to the Beverly Hills Hotel’s famous restaurant and bar on Sunset Boulevard. Despite its reputation as a celebrity hotspot, Hough detailed that their outing was “private.”

She refrained from giving further details about their date or relationship but mentioned that her favorite first date ever was a romantic trip to Santa Monica Pier with someone she “doesn’t really remember.”

“Oh this was really sweet,” Hough told Cohen, 56. “We did the Ferris wheel and we kissed.”

Recently, Hough has been more open about the reasons their relationship didn’t last, suggesting that differences in their levels of fame contributed to their breakup.

Speaking on the Monday, August 12 episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Hough discussed dating Seacrest from 2010 to 2013.

“I would imagine it would be so exciting and so privileged and so romantic, and then also I would feel like I was losing myself to all of that,” Shepard, 49, remarked.

Hough agreed, stating, “That was exactly the dynamic. The rug was swept up from underneath me, and I was just flying and I was experiencing things that I didn’t even know existed.”

At the time, Hough was establishing her own reputation, but she was concerned that people might think she was with Seacrest for his fame.

“I had this insecurity that I was like, “I don’t ever want anybody to think that I’m with him for this reason,” she said. “So I started playing smaller. I overcompensated and became exactly what somebody needed me to be to make them happy.”

Hough also touched on other past relationships this month, including her marriage to former NHL player Brooks Laich. The two began dating in 2014 and got engaged in 2015.

“He had a really rough last few years of his career,” Hough shared, “He was injured and then he got traded before his team that he had been with for almost 12 years won the Stanley Cup. It makes me want to cry because I feel for him so bad.” According to Hough, everything started to unravel when they got married in 2017. The couple disclosed their separation in 2020.

On Sunday’s Watch What Happens Live, Hough also spoke about her public perception, saying she believes people don’t really know what she does for a living.

“I think because I do so many different things, I’m a bit confusing,” Hough commented. “People are like, ‘What does she do, does she dance, is she a singer, is she an actor, what does she do?’ But I think I’m a storyteller. Everything I do is storytelling, whether it’s through my body, my voice, or my acting.”