14 DAY TRIAL // Dancer, singer, and actress Julianne Hough is probably off the market, if recent paparazzi photos emerged online are any indication. She recently stepped out holding hands with Canadian hockey player Brooks Laich, and rumor has it they’re an item.
If it’s true the two are dating, this is the first relationship Julianne embarks on publicly since the March 2013 split from television mogul Ryan Seacrest, whom she dated for almost 2 years and was even believed to marry at some point.
“The Safe Haven star stepped out in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon, sparking romance rumors after she was spotted holding hands with Canadian hockey player Brooks Laich while they headed out for a hike. Rocking a white tank top, gym shorts and sneakers, Hough brought her two dogs along for the walk as she and the hunky NHL pro headed up the trail,” E! News writes.
“Following their outdoor excursion, the duo picked up some groceries at Bristol Farms and headed out in Hough's white Mercedes SUV, with Laich in the driver's seat,” adds the report.
The same media outlet notes that this wasn’t the first time Julianne and Brooks stepped out together either, though it was the first they held hands in public: the two were seen running errands in LA the day before Valentine’s Day.
No word yet if they spent the most romantic day of the year together, but they definitely seemed in the mood for love on social media, posting all kinds of sweet messages on their respective Twitter feeds.
As noted above, Julianne (sister of Dancing With the Stars champ Derek Hough) and Ryan dated for a couple of years, during which time the tabloids kept very busy speculating on when they might tie the knot or eventually break up.
The two never spoke on the record about any wedding plans, but things did seem serious. Then, in March 2013, they announced that things simply didn’t work out anymore for them and that they had decided to go their separate ways.