Julianne Hough reveals she's 'not straight'

The "America's Got Talent" judge discussed her marriage to Brooks Laich.

ByGood Morning America via logo
August 1, 2019, 8:03 PM

Julianne Hough is becoming more confident -- and honest -- about who she is.

In a new interview with Women's Health, the "America's Got Talent" judge revealed that she recently told her husband, former professional hockey player Brooks Laich, things about her sexuality that he never knew.

“I [told him], ‘You know I’m not straight, right?’" she said. "And he was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’ I was like, ‘I’m not. But I choose to be with you.'"

Hough, 31, and Laich, 36, wed in an outdoor ceremony in Idaho in July 2017 after several years of dating. Though the two have been open about the different ways that they connect, Hough told the magazine that she was concerned that her personal evolution over the past year would alienate Laich.

She explained that since she discovered her purpose -- helping others through her dance method, Kinrgy -- she's been "de-layering all the survival tactics I’ve built up my whole life," allowing her to feel "limitless."

"I was connecting to the woman inside that doesn’t need anything, versus the little girl that looked to him to protect me," she explained. "I was like, ‘Is he going to love this version of me?’ But the more I dropped into my most authentic self, the more attracted he was to me. Now we have a more intimate relationship."

Now, she added, their relationship is stronger than ever.

“I think there’s a safety with my husband now that I’m unpacking all of this," she said, "and there’s no fear of voicing things that I’ve been afraid to admit or that I’ve had shame or guilt about because of what I’ve been told or how I was raised."