It seems there's nothing that Julianne Hough can't do. Although the star is perhaps best
known for getting down on Dancing With the Stars, she's also an accomplished singer and
actor. But since she's made some big time life changes, we're taking a look at why Julianne
Hough is still turning heads.
Born in Utah in 1988, Hough grew up in a Mormon household alongside her four older siblings.
And she told Women's Health,
"We were bred to perform."
"I literally probably came out of the womb, dancing."
Her mom enrolled Hough along with her siblings in piano lessons, singing, tap-dancing, and
ballet. And those dance lessons sure paid off. At just 10 years old, Hough, along with
her 13-year-old brother Derek, were accepted to train as ballroom dancers at the esteemed
Italia Conti dance school in London.
It appears that the professional dance industry in which Hough spent her formative years wasn't
exactly appropriate for a child. She was no stranger to spray-tanning at 10 years old
and wore makeup when competing, telling People magazine,
"When I look back, I think it is so sad I have no pictures of me with a cute, bare,
10-year-old face."
Hough explained that she was even acting much older than she was, telling Cosmo,
"I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer. I was a tormented
little kid who had to put on this [mature] facade because that was my job and my life."
Hough also told the publication that she was abused, quote, "mentally [and] physically"
while she was training abroad. And she revealed this abuse only intensified when she hit puberty.
Although Hough didn't know it for some time, she began suffering from endometriosis around
the time she returned to the U.S. She revealed to People magazine,
"When I was 15, I had symptoms of endometriosis, but I had never heard of it [and] didn't know
what it was. I thought that this was just the kind of pain you have when you're on your
period. For years, I was just thinking that was normal and [I] never really talked about
it."
"I saw a few doctors and they said my symptoms were normal. So I thought, this must just
be part of being a woman."
It wasn't until 2008 that Hough would get an official diagnosis. While on set for Dancing
with the Stars, she was rushed to the hospital due to severe stomach pains. Not only was
she diagnosed with endometriosis, but she was also told she would need to have surgery.
"If I could have told myself one thing, it would have been, don't be such a tough cookie."
These days, Hough has learned to better manage the symptoms of the disorder, taking time
off and resting when she needs it. But, she told People,
"I still live a healthy, active life and do the things that I love."
In 2016, Hough told Shape that she was finally confident in her body — but admitted she
didn't always feel that way. She said,
"When I look at pictures of myself when I was 19, my body was bangin', but I was killing
myself. I was working out two and a half hours a day and eating the bare minimum to survive.[…]
Now I'm embracing the fact that I'm a woman with curves."
"I think that your body is your body and you should own it and you should love it."
Instead of starving herself, Hough turned to eating healthy and exercising anywhere
from three to six days a week, often with five days being devoted to more intense workouts.
She's a fan of yoga, SoulCycle, and hiking, but she takes Sundays off to reset. She said,
"I relax, enjoy the day, and get mentally and spiritually prepared for the week. It
gets me excited for what's ahead."
While Hough's acting career technically began in 2001 as an unnamed Hogwarts school girl
in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, her first major role was in 2010's Burlesque.
Hough was cast as a supporting character — a dancer named Georgia — which prepared her
for her next big role as the female lead in the 2011 remake of Footloose. Hough continued
to pursue acting and went on to star in Rock of Ages as well as romantic thriller Safe
Haven.
"It's a perfect day."
But before Hough even started pursuing acting, she released her first country album — which
won her an American Country Music Award and a spot on country music legend George Strait's
2008 tour.
While Hough's star began to burn brighter, so too did the criticism she faced. One tabloid,
for instance, captured an unflattering photo of the star in a bikini. Hough told Women's
Health,
"It kind of sucks. I was thinking, 'Oh, crap, maybe I should've sucked in a little.' […] It
really messes with you."
But it wasn't just the gossip mags that were slamming the star. She revealed that people
were leaving harsh comments about her weight online. She said,
"Growing up, I could eat anything. But the minute I hit 22, I stopped dancing and kept
eating whatever I wanted, and I gained weight."
"It's in a square. You don't eat pizza in a square. We need to talk."
At first, she tried staying away from the foods she craved, but that only led to binging.
She says,
"Now if I want something, I'll have it and I won't feel guilty. Then the next day I won't
crave it."
"My advice would just be to love yourself. All that you need is within you."
It might seem like forever ago, but Hough once dated famed TV host Ryan Seacrest. And
it wasn't just a fling — the two dated for about three years. In 2014 — a year after
their split — Hough provided a little more insight into what had transpired between them,
telling Redbook,
"Every relationship [in my past], there was nothing wrong or bad, but there was nothing
right. I had one foot out because I didn't want to get hurt. And I didn't say what was
on my mind because I didn't want to ruffle any feathers."
Hough eventually decided to drop her guard, stop fearing the worst, and speak her mind.
She explained to the outlet that she'd rather deal with a broken heart than never experience
true love. She said,
"If I had been this open in my last relationship, who knows?"
"We dated years ago, and remain friends. But it's gotta be weird, like if an ex gets married.
Oh no, I've got several exes that have gotten married."
After Seacrest and Hough called it quits in 2013, Julianne and her family attended a Tony
Robbins seminar on creating your own destiny. It was there that she started piecing together
why her past relationships hadn't worked out, and making changes for the better.
"Date with Destiny has allowed me to come back to who I am, and to create the life that
I want."
Julianne told Redbook at the time,
"I was seeing a couple people, but immediately [started texting them], 'You are nice, but
this is going nowhere.'"
Soon after, Hough met hockey player Brooks Laich. The two were introduced by their mutual
friend Teddy Sears, whom Julianne worked with on a movie that never saw the light of day.
She told Cosmo,
"I'm convinced the only reason I was meant to do that movie was to meet my fiancé."
"He's all about like the highest performance athlete you can be, and I'm about like what
makes me feel good."
Laich and Hough said "I do" in July 2017.
Hough may have been wearing makeup since she was 10 years old, but as she's gotten older,
she's started to change up her look. She told People magazine,
"Back when I was on Dancing With the Stars at 18 years old, I think I look older than
I do now. I've definitely gon e for a 'less is more' standpoint [today]. I cut back on
hair and makeup and all that stuff."
"I was like 19 there. I look like I'm 30."
Instead, these days the star says her personal beauty philosophy is to start, quote "from
the inside out," which, for the dancer, involves drinking a whole lot of water and striving
to have a positive outlook. And although she took to the minimalist makeup trend, she said
she can't guarantee that she won't switch things up in the future, adding,
"For me, I'm only gonna look like this this year and then I'm gonna look different next
year, so might as well embrace that."
Hough's hair style has gone through some major transformations of its own. In 2014, she traded
in her long, blonde locks for a gorgeous Twiggy-like pixie. And in early 2018, she surprised us
all by dying her signature light tresses a fiery red. The celeb revealed on Instagram
that she'd been considering going red for six years before finally saying, quote, "Screw
it!" Hough revealed to E! News,
"It's funny because a lot of people are like, 'Oh, you changed your hair — how do you
feel?' And I'm actually reversing it and saying, 'I'm actually feeling this way so I changed
my hair so that's actually the reason why. At this point in my life I feel so grounded,
I feel so myself, I feel very happy, and this is how I feel! I want to express that through
my hair."
"I have like hair ADD, so that's the way I like spice up my life, I guess."
Although Hough has since transitioned back to blonde, she stunned the masses yet again
when she cut her hair in what her stylist, Riawna Capri, dubbed a quote "chic French
bob." Capri told Allure,
"[She's a] true chameleon [who] looks good with everything."
Hough isn't just switching up her appearance — she's also making some exciting changes
in her career. In 2017, she decided not to return for Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars,
but even so, she certainly kept busy. In February 2019, the star revealed to Entertainment Tonight
that she planned to release new music, adding,
"[I'm] also [working on] wellness, self-discovery, fitness, empowerment [and] relationship stuff.
So just keep a lookout. Some awesome things are coming, and I usually don't promote myself
like that, but I'm so excited and so passionate because it's what I truly believe in, and
so I'm putting it out there!"
"Create from a place of pure potentiality. Potentiality? That's a word. It is now. It
is now."
Hough also went on to reprise her role as a judge — but not on Dancing with the Stars.
This time, it was for America's Got Talent. After all, who better to judge America's best
than one of the most talented stars herself!
After being diagnosed with endometriosis, Hough knew she could have trouble conceiving.
Although her doctor never explicitly stated that she'd struggle with infertility, Hough
and Brooks decided that in vitro fertilization would up their odds of becoming pregnant.
The couple started the process in June 2019. And just two months later, Hough was feeling
optimistic, telling Women's Health,
"I've always put it out there that it's going to be okay."
"I've wanted kids since I was like 5 years old. Yeah."
And her positive attitude has served Hough well over the years. She even started to view
her battle with endometriosis differently, revealing,
"I feel I've created a more peaceful and harmonious relationship with it."
In addition to shifting her mindset about her body, she also began to feel more confident
and independent in herself. She shared with the outlet,
"I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn't need anything, versus the little girl
that looked to [Brooks] to protect me."
Just four months after marrying Brooks Laich, Hough began what she described as a quote
"massive transformation," which involved letting her guard down in front of her new husband.
But Hough admitted to Women's Health in 2019 that she was concerned that he may not like
who she was becoming. But her transformation had the opposite effect. She said,
"Now we have a more intimate relationship."
As the couple's relationship grew stronger, Hough decided the time was right to come out
to her husband. Recalling their conversation, she revealed,
"I [told him], 'You know I'm not straight, right?' And he was like, 'I'm sorry, what?'
I was like, 'I'm not. But I choose to be with you.'"
"I've never labeled myself or have identified with any kind of labels, love is love, and
that's it."
But despite claims of a deeply intimate relationship, the two decided to part ways in May 2020.
In a joint statement issued to People magazine, the two explained that they'd come to the
mutual decision to separate, revealing,
"We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead
with our hearts from that place."
According to a source for People magazine, Hough transformed into:
"[A] deeply different person than she was when [she and Brooks Laich] got married."
And Hough herself recognizes that, as well. According to what she told Women's Health
in August 2019, Hough thought that getting married was all she ever wanted, but within
that same year, she recognized she needed more and embarked on a complete mind-body
transformation. This led Hough to develop Kinrgy, which is described as:
"[A] movement experience inspired by the elements [that] focuses your mind, sculpts your body
and ignites your life."
"To be able to touch one person's life is the goal, but to be able to share Kinrgy with
15,000 people." "It's unbelievable."
Along with being part of Oprah's 2020 Vision tour, Hough told the outlet that she was diving
deep into working on herself, using the Kinrgy practice, adding,
"[I've] been de-layering all the survival tactics I've built up my whole life. […] Now,
I feel limitless."
And now, Hough's goal is to bring that same experience to others. She told Us Weekly in
2020,
"Now more than ever, people are searching for deeper human connections, and at its core
the Kinrgy philosophy guides us to our inner knowing, that it all starts from within."
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