Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater address romance speculation

Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater are explaining why they were seen in public holding hands.

The real estate agent and the “Dancing with the Stars” pro, who are partners this season on the ballroom competition show, took to Instagram on Thursday to thank viewers for voting them through to the next round on the show. They also said they wanted to clear something up.

“We do want to address this story, and this whole thing that’s going out about whether or not Emma and I are dating,” Umansky said. “For full clarity, we are not dating.”

Umansky is currently separated from wife Kyle Richards, who he as appeared with on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

Slater backed him up, said, “We’re not dating.”

Umansky continued, “We are really good friends. We’ve been dancing together now for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day.”

As for the picture of them holding hands, Umansky said it a gesture of friendship.

“It’s been a super emotional week and I’ve been able to get in touch with those emotions, which is very difficult for me,” he said. “It’s intense, you really form a very, very special bond.”

Umansky said the two had just gotten some sushi and were connecting about the week when the photo was taken.

“And then all of a sudden we’re dating,” Slater said.

“That’s it. Hope that clarifies. That’s the end of that story,” Umansky said.

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