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Julianne Hough<\/strong> is opening up about her three-year relationship with Ryan Seacrest<\/strong>\u2014or more specifically, how it ended.<\/p>\n The Dancing With the Stars<\/em> co-host, who dated Seacrest from 2010 to 2013, discussed why she ultimately chose to part ways with the American Idol<\/em> host on Monday\u2019s episode of Armchair Expert<\/em> with Dax Shepard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old explained that, at the time, her career was just beginning to take off, whereas Seacrest, 49, was already well-established in the television and radio industry. So, in an effort to carve out a career for herself independent of the relationship, she decided to call it quits.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember when I decided to break things off,\u201d she told Shepard. \u201cI had a lot of these Brentwood moms and producers in that world who were like, \u2018What are you doing?\u2019 And I was like, \u2018What do you mean?\u2019 They were like, \u2018Your life is completely set up.’\u201d<\/p>\n But Hough realized that the life she was living and the trajectory it was on were not something she had built herself; rather, she felt she was merely riding the wave of her then-partner\u2019s fame.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rug was swept up from underneath me, and I was just flying, experiencing things that I didn\u2019t even know existed,\u201d Hough said. \u201cBut I had this insecurity\u2014I didn\u2019t want anyone to think I was with him for the wrong reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I thought, \u2018I need to create this myself,’\u201d she continued. \u201cCompetitively, it wasn\u2019t mine. I needed to feel the pride of doing it on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n In trying to navigate the relationship, Hough also admitted she \u201covercompensated to fit into exactly what somebody needed\u201d in order \u201cfor them to be happy\u201d rather than focusing on her own happiness.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what I\u2019ve realized over the years is I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever truly been in love with someone, but I have loved the feeling of being loved. So, I would become whatever I needed to be in order to be loved.\u201d<\/p>\n After her split from Seacrest, Hough began dating hockey player Brooks Laich<\/strong> later that same year. The two married in 2017 but filed for divorce in 2020, finalizing it in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,\u201d they said in a joint statement. \u201cWe share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"LAS](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-126266844.jpg?quality=100&w=1024\")