Many couples are relishing being able to spend so much quality time together while in lockdown due to the coronavirus. But not Julianne Hough , 31, and her former NHL hockey player husband Brooks Laich, 36. She remained in L.A. and has been seen during isolation with hunky actor pal Ben Barnes. Meanwhile Brooks is holed up in Idaho, enjoying the great snowy outdoors with his beloved shelter rescue husky. “Julianne and Brooks are still together and very much a couple. There is nothing going on with her and Ben, they’ve been friends for years,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY.
“Julianne chose to stay in LA to focus on the projects she’s busy working on. Brooks wanted to get out of LA and do some work on his place in Idaho. They are both very independent and they are fine doing their own thing. It doesn’t mean they are over,” the insider continues. Julianne was most recently seen from home remotely joining with her brother Derek, 34, and his dancer girlfriend Hayley Erbert, 25, performing “Be Our Guest” during ABC’s The Disney Family Singalong on Apr. 16. Even though California has been in lockdown since Mar. 19, Jules is still out there hustling gigs, while Brooks is happy in the woods with his dog, while working out and doing podcasts.
“Julianne and Brooks have a very unique relationship where their own time is just as meaningful as their alone time. They really are their own people and it makes things not look regular to the outside world. But this is their regular. They are together and are a couple and are figuring it out as the days go by, because their relationship is a day by day thing. Their unconventionality is what works and makes things strange from time to time, but the relationship is not at all broken.” a second source tells us EXCLUSIVELY
Jules still comments on Brooks’ Instagram posts from Idaho. On Apr. 6 he shared a photo of their sweet husky outside, writing, “Hey dad, it snowed again – let’s go!” The former Dancing with the Stars judge commented, “That little tongue pokin out,” along with a red heart emoji. She also called him a “stunning boy” in another IG pic of the pup. Brooks shared a repost from his Apr. 22 How Men Think podcast, where he was seen doing an IG live with his singer co-host Gavin DeGraw, 43. Julianne gushed, “That beard though” with a smiling hearts for eyes emoji at how long its grown during quarantine. So even though he’s several states away, Julianne is still crushing on her guy.