Julianne Alexandra Hough (born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, singer, and actress. She is a two-time professional champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She was nominated for a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Choreography in season five of the show.
Her first leading acting role was in the 2011 film remake of Footloose. In September 2014, Hough joined Dancing with the Stars as a permanent fourth judge. Along with her brother Derek Hough (who is a seven-time winner of the dancing show) and Tessandra Chavez, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography in 2015. In 2016, she played Sandy in the live Fox-TV production of Grease.
Hough dated fellow country singer Chuck Wicks from August 2008 to November 2009; when the two had a mutual break-up, it inspired Hough's song "Is That So Wrong". Hough dated Ryan Seacrest from April 2010 to March 2013. In February 2014, it was revealed that she began dating NHL professional hockey player Brooks Laich, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, formerly the Washington Capitals, in December 2013. The couple announced their engagement on August 18, 2015.
Dancing with the Stars is an American dance competition show airing since 2005 on ABC in the United States, and CTV/CTV Two in Canada. The show is the American version of the British television series Strictly Come Dancing. The show is hosted by Tom Bergeron, alongside Erin Andrews, who became co-host in season eighteen. Lisa Canning was co-host in season one, Samantha Harris co-hosted seasons two through nine and Brooke Burke-Charvet in seasons ten through seventeen, and Erin Andrews beginning with the eighteenth season. The series has been renewed though season 23 as of March 3, 2016.