Julianne Hough's Ex Brooks Laich Helped Heal Her Childhood Trauma by Allowing the Dancer to Be a 'Little Girl' Again During Their Marriage

Julianne Hough's marriage to Brooks Laich lasted just a few years, but the dancer admitted it was during that time frame that the retired hockey player helped her heal from a traumatic childhood.

In the second half of her interview on the "Jamie Kern Lima Show" podcast, the blonde beauty explained that since she felt protected in her marriage, she was able to "reconnect" to her inner child.

"What did I need at 10? I really needed safety and almost, like, a father figure to come in and be that grounding force of stability," she explained on the Tuesday, August 27, episode.

"He provided such a beautiful foundation for me to be a little girl," she confessed, noting she was then able to "start that healing."

The Dancing With the Stars co-host then began "shifting and changing and questioning," which led to her evolving into "more of a woman." However, her growth was one of the things that prompted her and Laich to part ways.

During the first part of Hough's chat, she explained the retired athlete was going through a turning point in his career while she found herself. "He was contracting while I was expanding. We just couldn’t find each other in that," she revealed of why they couldn't make their marriage last.

"Everything that I had ever known, that I had put in place for my control and my protection … I had this marriage to this guy who represented more of a father figure to me, and while he was changing, I was changing," she said.

Three years after tying the knot, the Safe Haven actress asked for a separation.

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"We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate," they said in a joint 2020 statement. "We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward."

Though they attempted a reconciliation, they broke up for good at the end of 2020, with the divorce being finalized in 2022.

"It wasn’t right. That can be a hard thing to fully accept," spilled the Fresh Vine Wines co-founder. "We both have regrets that it didn’t work out, because I don’t think we had the maturity to come together."