17 ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Couples Who Fell in Love in the Ballroom

Brooks Nader & Gleb Savchenko

Dancing with the Stars partners Savchenko and Nader first sparked dating rumors early on in season 33. Before getting eliminated in week four, the two posted their fair share of flirty videos online and were spotted making out backstage. In early October, the two even got tattoos together.

A week after their elimination from the show, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that they had gone their separate ways. Savchenko and Nader got back together quickly afterwards; however, the couple split for good in April 2025.

In the August 2025 premiere episode of her reality series Love Thy Nader, she claimed that she discovered Savchenko had been cheating on her when she found texts about threesomes in his phone.

“I had no idea this whole time that this was all going on, and to make matters worse, it’s just like, what if I hadn’t looked through his phone? Would I have continued to date him and gotten married and had babies? Would I have fallen for it?” she said on the show.

Savchenko has denied the accusations, calling them “100% fake” in an August 2025 TikTok.

Daniel Durant & Britt Stewart

Durant and Stewart competed on season 31 of Dancing with the Stars together.

“When I met him and found out he was my partner on Dancing with the Stars, immediately I was like, I must learn ASL because I’m teaching him how to dance,” Stewart told PEOPLE in December 2023. “I’m not going to use his interpreter.”

On Valentine’s Day 2023, the couple confirmed their romance on Instagram. Durant shared a sweet selfie with Stewart and captioned, “My Valentine. ♥️ Happy Valentine’s Day.” At the same time, Stewart posted an adorable reel — set to Montell Fish’s “Fall in Love with You” — of the couple dancing in front of a camera.

The couple got engaged while hiking with their families on Christmas Eve.

“We were both emotional, overwhelmed with joy and at peace knowing that this would eventually be part of our story,” Stewart said of the proposal to PEOPLE. “It felt like magic, but at the same time, it felt right and normal.” 

“It’s a complete surprise that I found her,” Durant added, explaining why their love feels so natural. “She sees me. She knows my culture, my language and understands everything about me.”

The couple got married on Aug. 23, 2025, in California, three years after meeting on Dancing with the Stars.

Matthew Lawrence & Cheryl Burke

Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence didn’t technically meet in the ballroom — but it’s how it all began.

The couple initially met in 2006 through Joey Lawrence, Matthew’s brother and a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars. They first started dating in February 2007 and were in a year-long relationship before calling it quits in February 2008.

Two years after reuniting in February 2017, the couple tied the knot in San Diego. However, in February 2022, Burke filed for divorce from Lawrence, which was finalized that September.

Reflecting on the split to Entertainment Tonight in March 2023, Lawrence said, “It tested me. And I learned so much about myself, and I’m so thankful and blessed for the opportunity to grow and that’s what came out of it.”

Alan Bersten & Alexis Ren

In November 2018, Bersten and model Alexis Ren — who had been open about their feelings throughout season 27 — confirmed their romance while filming.

Their romance was short-lived, though, and the pair had broken up by December that same year.

Peta Murgatroyd & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Though they first crossed paths during their time performing in the Broadway production of Burn the Floor in 2009, it wasn’t until New Zealand-born dancer Peta Murgatroyd joined the main cast of Dancing with the Stars that she and Ukrainian pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy began their romance in 2012.

After a brief break, the two became engaged in January 2017 and tied the knot in July of that year.

“I was trying not to trip over my dress,” she said of walking down the aisle to PEOPLE in September 2023. “When they said, ‘You are now husband and wife,’ that was like, ‘Wow, holy crap. I’m married.’ Yeah, it was a good moment.”

The pair share three sons: Shai Aleksander, who was born in January 2017, Rio John, who arrived in June 2023, and Milan Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who joined the family in July 2024.

While Maks is thrilled to be a father, he believes his wife’s parenting skills deserve the highest praise.

“I do feel like mothers of two-plus kids deserve a special extra medal,” he told PEOPLE in April 2024. “You’re going to have to stock up medals for that. It’s a lot of energy. It’s about to be chaotic, and I love it.”

Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson

Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson first met on Dancing with the Stars when Johnson joined the show as a troupe member in 2014. After a few years of dating — with a brief break — the couple got engaged in June 2018.

“My life has changed because of [her],” Val told PEOPLE at the time. “And I find myself to be the best version of myself that I’ve ever been. She’s awesome.”

In April 2019, the Dancing with the Stars castmates tied the knot in Rancho Palo Verdes, Calif., and celebrated with a romantic honeymoon in Saint Lucia. Three years later, the couple exclusively revealed to PEOPLE that they were expecting their first child.

“Our little baby was created with a lot of love. It all seems so magical and meant to be,” Johnson told PEOPLE. “If [Val] is anything like he is as a husband, he’s going to be the best dad in the world. He is so selfless and loving.”

The couple welcomed their son, Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy, in January 2023.

Kym Johnson & Robert Herjavec

Johnson and Herjavec were first spotted canoodling at the show’s 20th season premiere in Los Angeles.

“I don’t do anything for publicity,” Herjavec told PEOPLE of his relationship with Johnson. “From the moment I met her, I loved hanging out with her. We are having a great time.”

After Johnson left the series, the two tied the knot in August 2016 and welcomed twins Haven and Hudson a little less than two years later.

“To have met Robert, who is incredible, so supportive and my best friend, and then to have these miracle children was just absolutely amazing,” Johnson told PEOPLE in March 2024. “So I couldn’t be happier. I have to pinch myself. It’s truly magical.”

Emma Slater & Sasha Farber

Professional dancers Sasha Farber and Slater were friends for years before their relationship turned romantic. In October 2016, they got engaged during a live episode of the show.

“Babe, I wanted to do this for such a long, long time,” Farber said while proposing to Slater. “I love you so much. Will you marry me?” She said yes, and the entire Dancing with the Stars cast quickly joined in on the excitement.

They married in March 2018, but separated in August 2022, officially filing for divorce in February 2023.

Despite the split, they remain on good terms and continue to work together on the show.

“We support each other so much that I want the very best for Sasha,” Slater told E! News in October 2023. “I’ll help him with his dance and he’ll help me with my dance. We do that, all [of] us pros together. I don’t feel that competition at all with him.”

Amber Rose & Val Chmerkovskiy

Though Amber Rose was eliminated earlier than she hoped from season 23 of Dancing with the Stars, she briefly found a romantic connection with the brother of her pro partner, Maks.

Rose and Val were first spotted getting cozy at her 33rd birthday bash in October 2016. However, they split after five months together.

“[Val] and I broke up due to our own personal reasons but we still care about each other tremendously and we love each other’s families even more,” Rose captioned a now-deleted Instagram post from February 2017.

Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff

When Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff were paired in 2006 on the show’s third season, the chemistry was immediate.

“I thought he was extremely hot and charming,” she told PEOPLE in 2008.

However, they split that year after nearly two years of dating.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Karina Smirnoff

After her split from Lopez, Smirnoff began dating fellow pro Maks.

The two got engaged in Las Vegas in January of 2009, but called it off just nine months later. The two reportedly disagreed over starting a family, a source told PEOPLE in September 2009.

Val Chmerkovskiy & Janel Parrish

Janel Parrish — best known for playing Mona Vanderwaal on Pretty Little Liars — felt instant chemistry with season 19 partner Val.

“Val’s been amazing,” she wrote in a blog for PEOPLE at the time. “He’s been keeping it really calm, which is the only reason why I’m calm because I look to him. He’s my leader, so when he’s strong — and he is — I feel strong. It’s been really good, and we’re having fun amid the crazy.”

Romance rumors reached their peak in November of 2014 when the two were spotted holding hands in New York City.

Mark Ballas & Sabrina Bryan

Pro dancer Mark Ballas dated his very first Dancing with the Stars partner, Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan. After the 2007 season, the two would Skype every day while Bryan was in India filming The Cheetah Girls: One World movie.

However, the couple broke up a few months later due to Bryan’s busy schedule.

Derek Hough & Shannon Elizabeth

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough — who had intense chemistry during the show’s 2009 sixth season — dated for more than a year before ending it extremely amicably with matching posts on X.

“Hi everyone, we wanted you all to know directly from us that Shannon & I have decided to end our relationship as boyfriend & girlfriend,” Hough wrote in August 2009.

Elizabeth added, “We love & care about each other very much.”

Cheryl Burke & Chad Ochocinco

In Burke’s 2011 book, Dancing Lessons: How I Found Passion and Potential on the Dance Floor and in Life, the dancer wrote that people assumed she and her partner (real name: Chad Johnson) were an item because of their “great chemistry.”

She later admitted to their relationship to Lifeline Live, saying, “We maybe had a little bit of a fling. I wouldn’t take it to that word dating.”

James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd

The Dancing with the Stars duo admitted to going on a date before the season 18 premiere, but apparently, things fizzled almost immediately.

“I’m flattered because she’s beautiful and it’s not such a bad thing,” Maslow told PEOPLE at the time. “But really, we’re just here just to dance.”

Alan Bersten and Emma Slater

Dancing with the Stars pros Bersten and Slater hard launched their relationship in April 2025 when they kissed onstage during their final performance on the DWTS: Live! 2025 tour.

“We’re just enjoying life together,” Bersten later told E! News. “No pressure there, but we’re just enjoying it.” 

In November 2025, Slater wished Bersten luck for the Dancing with the Stars season 34 finale, in which he’d be dancing with partner Elaine Hendrix.

“My boyfriend is a finalist. Again. 🥹🥹🥹🥹,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a series of PDA-filled photos. “What a pure champion. I’m so proud of you @alanbersten. And im SO PROUD OF YOU @elaine4animals. I have a kiss for you also btw 😂😂😂😂 congratulations you both, you BOTH deserve it so so much. Team Elaine ❤️🫶🏻.”