Love Lives of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Judges: Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba & Derek Hough’s Dating Histories
It doesn’t feel like fall TV has truly arrived until Dancing With the Stars premieres. The final five celebs of Season 34 — Dylan Efron, Robert Irwin, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles, and Alix Earle — are up against each other to win the beloved mirrorball trophy, now known as the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy.
The judges, Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Derek Hough, have been assessing their performances and watching every detailed move all season long. They’re often commenting on chemistry, but what do we know about their own dating history? Read below to find out who they are married to, who they have dated, and more.
Bruno Tonioli
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Tonioli, the oldest judge on the panel at 70, was born in Ferrara, Italy, in 1955 and has been in the professional dance sphere since the ’80s. Being a beloved character on both sides of the pond, it’s no wonder that Tonioli has a long-term partner he’s been involved with since 2010, Jason Schanne. The Michigan native is 31 years his junior and works as a model. The couple had a commitment ceremony in 2012.
Schanne, who is not active on social media, has a pretty private life. Even Tonioli, who is more active in the public eye, hasn’t spoken much about his significant other. The two share their time between their London home and their Los Angeles mansion. Tonioli is currently a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and was on Strictly Come Dancing, the UK version of Dancing With the Stars, until 2022.
Carrie Ann Inaba
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The So You Think You Can Dance alum, 57, met fellow choreographer Artem Chigvintsev when the Russian dancer was competing on the show, and they quickly started dating in 2006. Ultimately, their relationship wasn’t meant to be. They broke up at the end of 2008. Since then, the two reunited on Dancing With the Stars as coworkers. Chigvintsev recently made headlines in August 2024 after being arrested on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse. Chigvintseve and his ex-wife, Nikki Garcia, whom he met on the set of DWTS, have since divorced.
After her relationship with Chigvintsev, Inaba got engaged twice. First to Jesse Sloan, a man she met on eHarmony. He proposed on national television during an episode of Live with Kelly and Regis. She called off their engagement in 2012. Inaba got engaged to actor Robb Derringer in 2016. Their relationship ended in 2017.
She was briefly involved with Italian musician Tony Neiman between 2014 and 2015. Her most recent partner was Fabien Viteri, but the two ultimately broke things off in 2021. Inaba appears to be single as of now.
Derek Hough
Disney / Eric McCandless
Hough, 40, found love in the ballroom. The former DWTS pro and now judge is married to Hayley Erbert. She competed on Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance, and the two met in 2014 when his famous sister hired her to go on tour with them. This wasn’t the last time they worked together, as Erbert was also a troupe dancer on DWTS for seven seasons.
Hough and Erbert officially announced their relationship in 2017. They got engaged in 2022. In 2023, they tied the knot. At the ceremony, a lot of the DWTS crew appeared, such as Alfonso Ribeiro, Maria Menounos, and Shawn Johnson. Mark Ballas, another DWTS pro, served as Hough’s best man at the idyllic Monterey set wedding.
Erbert experienced a medical emergency in December 2023 when she was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma. She was hospitalized and underwent surgery. Thankfully, she has made a full recovery.
In July 2025, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together after a pregnancy loss. Erbert and Hough haven’t announced their due date.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Streaming Now, Hulu and Disney+
