“Dancing With the Stars” partners Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater addressed photos that surfaced of them holding hands after his estranged wife, Kyle Richards, admitted she was “hurt” by them.
“We do want to address this story, this whole thing, going out and about whether or not Emma and I are dating — whether we went out on a date. For full clarity, we are not dating,” Umansky said in a selfie video alongside Slater in an Instagram Story on Thursday.
Umansky explained that they have just become “really good friends” since he became her “DWTS” partner and have been “dancing together now for six weeks for four hours a day, every single day.”
Slater agreed with Umansky, adding that it’s an “intense” process and she often forms a “special bond” with her celebrity partners — especially with Umansky because of their “similar personalities.”
“Last week was extremely emotional, so super emotional, so super supportive relationship, we’re definitely there for each other and it’s beautiful. That’s a great thing,” she added.
Umansky directly addressed the photos, claiming that they went to grab sushi after rehearsal and they were discussing the “very intense” and “very emotional” week before they were photographed leaving hand-in-hand.
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“When we came out of dinner, we were recapping and I reached out to grab Emma’s hand, and she grabbed my hand, and we, you know, walked to the cars just recapping and summarizing and then the paparazzi caught that moment. It’s become a blown-out moment,” he continued.
Slater laughed and jokingly added, “All of the sudden, we’re dating!”
Umansky ended the video by thanking people for voting for him and assured fans they’re going to “keep on dancing” and “keep having fun.”
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