Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are going through a rough patch after more than two years of marriage.
A source tells Us Weekly exclusively that the couple “were having problems” in December. An insider close to Laich, meanwhile, echoes, “Everyone knows something is up.”
Hough, 31, has been spotted without her wedding ring on multiple occasions recently. She did not wear it while cohosting NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly on December 31, although the NHL player, 36, supported her at the event. She also went ringless in Instagram videos shared on December 24 and January 3. Laich’s wedding band, however, was on full display in a workout video he posted on January 2.
The athlete first raised eyebrows on December 30 when he wrote on Instagram that he was “working on becoming a better man, a better version of me” in 2020.
“I share these words for anyone else out there on a similar journey ahead of the new year. It’s a new decade coming, a new sense of hope and opportunity – and a chance to step into an improved version of you,” he continued. “You must believe you are, before you can become. Once the belief is set, the path reveals itself. So, much love to all of you taking the time to pour love into yourself, and striving for betterment – I’m with you all the way, and wish you all the best!!
That same day, Laich listed his goals for the new year on his Instagram Stories. He wrote that he hopes to be more “open to all things and present in my relationships” and also wants to learn “more about intimacy and my sexuality.”
The hockey player continued to fuel breakup rumors on Tuesday, January 7, when he wrote yet another possibly telling Instagram message that read in part, “In 2020 I look forward to releasing old identities, and stepping into a new chapter in my life. … I feel a new stage of life calling me, and though I don’t exactly know what it is yet, it feels right, and exciting! … In 2020, I am ‘boundless’ and on a new journey.” Hough commented on the post, “So beautiful” with a red heart emoji.
The former Dancing With the Stars pro and Laich started dating in early 2014 and got engaged in August 2015. They tied the knot in Idaho in July 2017.
Hough made headlines in August 2019 when she told Women’s Health that she is “not straight,” but chose “to be with” her husband.
Us Weekly has reached out to Hough and Laich’s reps for comment.
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