Brooke Burke has spoken out about her experience on Dancing With The Stars, confessing that she was tempted to have a “love affair” with Derek Hough.
The 52-year-old and the professional dancer won the mirrorball trophy in season seven, but it was a rollercoaster ride off the dancefloor.
In a revealing new interview, the E! anchor – who went on to host the competition – revealed how close they grew.
She discussed her friendship with the 38-year-old, who just married Hayley Erbert, on Cheryl Burke’s Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast.
‘I was crushing on Derek, for sure. Had I not been married… I would have actually hoped we would have had a love affair,’ she confessed. ‘You are intertwined with someone’s body when you’re not a dancer.
‘There is no way that I have ever been so connected – besides with a lover or a husband – than I was with Derek.’
Brooke said, ‘For three months, you are in someone’s arms,’ while Cheryl expressed her surprise at the statements. What do you believe causes individuals to fall in love?
‘You smell them, you feel them, you’re breathing them. It can be more intimate than making love in a bedroom – you’re making love on a dance floor if you’re really connected.
‘If you have energy, you’re doing this dance and you’re in the rhythm, and then there’s trust. then you’re sharing fear, you’re doing something you’ve never done. How many times do you go through an experience with someone where they’re all you’ve got?
‘Life-changing.’
Their chemistry shone through, as they raced to the final, finally defeating Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson to win the coveted prize.
Brooke, on the other hand, stated that it took a lot of effort for them to get to that point, as they first struggled to connect – and even went to therapy together behind the scenes.
The actress, who was married to David Charvet at the time, also said that the competition had a positive impact on their marriage.
‘It was great on my marriage,’ she added. ‘I had very little time, I was exhausted at night but David really knew how to show up.
‘My family really took over to pick up the slack in raising each other. David was really supportive and he is also a bit of a performer so he understood the pressure.’
After seven years of marriage, the couple separated in 2018, and their divorce is set to be finalised in 2020.
