Julianne Hough Says Brooks Laich Marriage Allowed Her to ‘Be a Little Girl’

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Justin Edmonds/Getty Images for dOMAIN Integrated

Julianne Hough is providing a glimpse into the dynamics of her past marriage with ex-husband Brooks Laich.

While appearing on the Tuesday, August 27, episode of the “Jamie Kern Lima Show,” Hough, 36, explained that her relationship with Laich, 41, was the “greatest thing that could have happened to me at that time of my life.”

“What I needed at that time was to reconnect with my 10-year-old self,” she explained to host Jamie Kern Lima. “What did I need at 10? I really needed safety and almost, like, a father figure to come in and be that grounding force of stability.”

According to Hough, Laich “provided such a beautiful foundation for me to be a little girl, and as that was the dynamic of our relationship, I was able to start that healing. When I started going through all that journey, I started being more of a woman.”

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich: The Way They Were

Fortunately, Laich gave her a “little girl feeling,” as well as “stability” and a “stable man to be there.”

During the August 15 episode of “The Jamie Kern Lima Show,” the Dancing With the Stars cohost opened up about her childhood trauma and revealed she was sexually abused at 4 years old by a neighbor.

Hough said she “blocked out” the experience for years, but she was able to come face-to-face with the trauma through her recent healing journey.

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“I forgot about it. Then other things happened later in my childhood and at about 15, and I started sharing those things but I forgot about the neighbor thing,” Hough explained during the part 1 episode. “It wasn’t until I started doing the work recently. That’s why I blocked out from 10 to 15, because I had completely disassociated from that happening.”

Hough and Laich broke up in July 2020 after three years of marriage. Us Weekly confirmed that the duo’s divorce was finalized in June 2022.

When looking back on the love story, Hough still has positive things to say about that chapter of her life.

“We are important, special people in each other’s lives and we shared a really powerful season together,” she said on the August 27 podcast episode. “I know that I also brought a lot of things to his life that he’s shared with me also so it has definitely felt like a mutual respect and love and period of growth for both of us.”

From ‘DWTS’ Champ to Triple Threat! Julianne Hough Through the Years

While some parts of the relationship were challenging, Hough firmly believes that all things happen for a reason.

“I think everything has happened the way that it should have happened,” she added. “The growth and the learning and the evolution is what it needed to be. I’m grateful for it.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).