Brooke Burke Sets the Record Straight on Derek Hough 'Affair' Comments, Says It's About Having a 'Connection on the Dance Floor'
Oct. 23 2023, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
After Brooke Burke claimed she would have had an "affair" with Dancing With the Stars partner Derek Hough, the TV star is making it clear her comments were taken out of context.
"If anyone listened to the whole podcast, they would understand where I was coming from. I feel like it was an honest conversation about connection and you need that on the dance floor. What the celebrities and pros go through on the dance floor is much like love and life and romance — there's passion, it's intimate, there's fear, there's failure, you're learning how to communicate, there's struggle, you're learning how to dance, you're breathing in someone's arms for three months," the 52-year-old exclusively tells OK! while talking about her new show Penn & Teller’s: Fool Us, which premieres on The CW on Friday, October 27.
"It was a love affair — in the ballroom, in my opinion," she adds. "You're telling a love story on the dance floor if you're lucky, and the audiences sees that, and you can't fake that. There's passionate moments that are exchanged on the dance floor and not on the dance floor. That's what I meant! It was an adult conversation. I also understand why people who appear on the show fall in love and get married. That wasn't us. I was already married. It wasn't that I wished we could have or should have — it was the transparency of the intimate relationship that's inevitable."
The Brooke Burke Body founder, who was married to David Charvet at the time, says it's "very possible to have chemistry and to have an intimate experience within the boundaries of a relationship in a marriage off the dance floor. It was never an issue with David and I — it was never even a thought of being inappropriate within the commitments of my marriage. I was all in on the dance floor, and it was romantic and sexy."
"We were telling a love story. There's this freedom, but it requires a lot of security. I go all in on everything that I do," she continues, noting that she hasn't spoken to Hough due to their busy lives.
Burke also said one of the reasons she and Hough won during Season 7 of DWTS is because they were "chemically connected," which Hough would probably agree with.
In the meantime, the fitness guru is excited for her latest project: hosting Penn & Teller’s: Fool Us. "Penn and Teller are iconic magicians. It was a true honor to work with them to host their show. I didn't know how much magic I was going to get to participate in, but I was able to work on many tricks with them," she shares. "I had an opportunity to work with a magic mentor to perform my own magic trick on the show, which was super exciting. It was an icebreaker for me, and the boys were like, 'Is Brooke going to be brave enough? Is she going to get grossed out by the tricks? Will she be able to handle this?' I was like, 'Come on, guys. I'm a daredevil, too!' I spent a couple of weeks learning a trick that I was able to perform on the show, which was slightly dangerous, so that was really fun."
"I like to try new things, which is why I love live television. I love a live audience and I love magic — and I believe in magic," she gushes. "I was surprised at how mysterious, confusing and mind-blowing every show was. It was fascinating, confusing, fun, shocking ... it's going to be a great family show."
Burke also loved seeing the audience's reaction in real time. "To watch their emotions was beautiful. It's going to bring light and be a family experience on Friday nights," she says.
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Even though Burke filmed 20 episodes, she still has no idea how some of the tricks work! "I like the confusion and the surprise. I was still not able to figure it out, but I did learn the etiquette of magic and how they have their own language. They almost speak in code to other magicians on stage, and the reason they do that is so they don't blow it for the audience," she explains.
Burke calls the whole experience a "bucket list moment," and she even forgot how much she loves hosting and being back on stage. "I had the opportunity to work with my old crew from Dancing With the Stars, so it felt like going back home. I love the energy from the audience, and there's just not a lot of live shows, so I really enjoyed it," she states. "Hopefully we'll have a great season and more opportunities to make the show!"
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Penn & Teller’s: Fool Us airs on The CW on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET.