Brooke Burke's Derek Hough Crush Confession Stirs Up Heated Debate

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough

Brooke Burke surprised Dancing with the Stars fans by admitting that she would've had an affair with dancing partner Derek Hough.

While appearing on the Oct. 9 episode of fellow DWTS alum Cheryl Burke's podcast Sex, Lies and Spray Tans, Brooke reflected on competing on the show back in 2008 and her dynamic with Hough.

The TV personality, 52, divulged that initially, she and the 38-year-old dancer weren't "gelling," so producers set up a "life coach therapy session" for them to connect. Not only did they bond enough to win season 7—but Burke realized that there was romantic chemistry between them off the dance floor.

"I was crushing on Derek for sure," Brooke confessed, adding that if she hadn't been married to ex-husband David Charvet at the time, "I would have actually hoped we would have had a love affair."

She explained further, noting, "You are intertwined with someone's body when you're not a dancer. There is no way that I have ever been so connected — besides with a lover or a husband — than I was with Derek. And it's every single day. So for three months, you are in someone's arms."

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Brooke continued, "Why do you think people fall in love? You smell them, you feel them, you're breathing with them. It can be more intimate than making love in a bedroom—you're making love on a dance floor, you feel more connected. If you have energy, you're doing this dance and you're in the rhythm, and then there's trust, then you're sharing fear, you're doing something you've never done. How many times do you go through an experience with someone where they're all you've got?"

After hearing her unexpected confession, many fans took to social media to share their polarizing reactions.

Some were shocked that she would ever admit to wanting to cheat on her husband with her dance partner, considering it disrespectful.

Others were sympathetic, noting that they could see how the complex situation led to Brooke having a crush.

Though Hough and Brooke formed a strong bond while filming, they never had a romance off-camera. Brooke is currently engaged to Scott Rigsby, while Hough found love with former DWTS choreographer Hayley Erbert, whom he married in late August.

Next: 'Dancing With the Stars' Partners Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold Weigh in on Relationship Rumor