Julianne Hough is not the same person she was when she wed Brooks Laich nearly three years ago after first falling for the athlete in late 2013.
A source has told People the change is what led to the couple’s May split.
‘She is a deeply different person than she was when they got married, and she is proud of those differences and changes she’s made and she doesn’t want to go back,’ said an insider close to the Dancing With The Stars judge. ‘He is the man he is, and he shouldn’t change a thing.’
New vibe: Julianne Hough is not the same person she was when she wed Brooks Laich nearly three years ago after first falling for the athlete in late 2013, a source has told People; here she is seen at home in May
No longer a fit: ‘She is a deeply different person than she was when they got married, and she is proud of those differences and changes she’s made and she doesn’t want to go back,’ said an insider close to the Dancing With The Stars judge. Seen in February
Brooks wanted to be there for Hough, but he just could not figure out what would bring her joy.
‘Brooks was determined to make it work, but he was constantly questioning what changes he needed to make for Julianne to be happy,’ said the insider.
‘He was fighting with this for months and it was very hard for him to let go of his marriage.’
When they decided to spend lockdown in different states – she is in LA while he is in Idaho – they had time to think the marriage over.
Hard to say bye: ‘Brooks was determined to make it work, but he was constantly questioning what changes he needed to make for Julianne to be happy,’ said the insider. ‘He was fighting with this for months and it was very hard for him to let go of his marriage.’ Seen in 2019
‘It really took the lockdown and them being separated for two months for him to realize that it is time to let go,’ said a pal of Brooks;.
‘He has been happy living by himself in nature.’
And now the two don’t want to push themselves any longer to make things better.
‘It took them a while to get here, but now they both understand that they shouldn’t spend the rest of their lives together — not as spouses,’ said a source close to the former pro dancer.
‘They are hoping to move forward as deeply loving friends forever who will always be supportive and encouraging of one another.’
They did have THIS in common: Both stars like to share alluring images to Instagram
Another source told Entertainment Tonight: ‘It has taken Julianne and Brooks some time to find the right moment to announce their split.
‘They haven’t been happy together for a long time but needed to come to terms with the fact that their marriage was over.’
Seems like one of the problems was he loved the country and she loved the city.
‘Brooks loves his outdoor life in Idaho, wanted a more traditional marriage and to start a family. Julianne wanted a less traditional marriage, to focus on her career and loves her city life and Hollywood existence,’ said a source.
But they went in with the best hopes: ‘They truly had a loving, romantic relationship, a fairy-tale wedding and believed they would spend the rest of their lives together but within two years, their views of marriage differed tremendously,’ the source added.
She came to fame on Dancing With The Stars: With Carrie Ann Inaba in 2015
And her fame grew: Seen with (l-r) Howie Mandel, Gabrielle Union, Simon Cowell and Terry Crews on America’s Got talent
And now they feel it just makes sense to let go.
‘They have been happier apart than together and realized they had no choice but to go their separate ways. Despite truly loving each other, they just didn’t see eye to eye.’
‘We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,’ Julianne, 31, and Brooks, 36, told People together in May.
‘We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place.’
Dearly beloved: Julianne reportedly began dating Brooks near the end of 2013 and they married in July 2017 by the lakeside town of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho (pictured)
The duo noted in their statement: ‘We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward.’
Two days before the separation announcement, Brooks posted ‘THIRST TRAP!’ shirtless photos from Idaho and Julianne commented that they were ‘awesome.’
During an Instagram Live interview with Oprah Magazine last month Julianne said of being in lockdown without Brooks: ‘I don’t feel lonely, but I definitely feel alone.’
Earlier last month amid rumors of marriage trouble with Brooks, Julianne wrote on Insta Stories: ‘Never betray yourself to be loyal to others.’
Amid the lockdown, during an Instagram Live session for her dance-influenced Kinrgy workouts she spilled that she was ‘Releasing all this stagnant energy built up from what’s going on personally and in the world.’
Julianne, who has described herself as ‘not straight,’ was glimpsed in mid-April on a stroll with dashing 38-year-old English actor Ben Barnes who is an old pal of hers.
Out and about: The couple are seen maintaining a united front while stepping out in Los Angeles together this February
Meanwhile that month on his How Men Think podcast Brooks gushed that he was having a ‘great’ time in Idaho with his ‘awesome’ husky Koda.
Calling himself an ‘introvert by nature’ he acknowledged: ‘I love having my dog – if it wasn’t for my dog, I’d probably be a little more antsy with the isolation.’
Brooks drew notice in January when he said on How Men Think that he wanted to ‘really explore learning about sexuality’ going forward.
However on a later episode of How Men Think he clarified that he was looking into ‘exploring my sexuality, and by that I don’t mean if I’m gay or straight.’
Brooks explained: ‘I mean like in my sexual relationship, what is my sexuality and what am I craving and what are my desires and what are my wife’s, and like, how can we have this language to feed each other in – and get everything we want and be sexually expressed to the nth degree and everything?’
He also said: ‘When I think of being married and being in my relationship, truthfully at my core, I don’t see any other life for me. Like that’s the life that I choose.’
Julianne reportedly began dating Brooks near the end of 2013 and they married in July 2017 by the lakeside town of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.