Brooke Burke clarifies her 'affair' comments about 'DWTS' partner Derek Hough
Brooke Burke explained the "vulnerability" and "intimacy" she felt while competing on "Dancing with the Stars" alongside Derek Hough. The TV personality said she had a "real connection" with the professional ballroom dancer.
Brooke Burke clarified her crush on former "Dancing with the Stars" partner Derek Hough after admitting she might have had a "love affair" with the professional dancer.
Burke told Fox News Digital that she hasn't spoken to Hough about her confession and explained that their connection was "sensual" not "sexual" while promoting her new hosting gig on "Penn and Teller: Fool Us." The next season premieres Oct. 27.
"And the reason why we haven't spoken is because it's so not a big deal," Burke noted. "I was very surprised at headline after headline after headline. And if anybody took the time to listen to the podcast, they would really understand the reality and the vulnerability and the sharing that I was doing about the intimacy in these relationships that are formed on the dance floor."
"It's a bit of a love story, really, if you let it. And chemistry is real and that connection is so real – or not – and I feel like Derek and I really had that."
‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ SIREN BROOKE BURKE PULLS BACK CURTAIN ON SHOW'S SEXUAL CHEMISTRY
Brooke Burke clarified her "chemistry" with former "Dancing with the Stars" partner Derek Hough was "sensual" in an interview with Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)
Burke recently revealed she was "crushing" on Hough throughout their season together during an appearance on former "DTWS" pro Cheryl Burke's podcast titled, "Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans."
The TV personality further explained the "intimate space" she shared with Hough during the seventh season of "Dancing with the Stars" to Fox News Digital.
WATCH: BROOKE BURKE CLARIFIES HER ‘AFFAIR’ COMMENTS WITH ‘DWTS’ PARTNER DEREK HOUGH
"You're working through things. You've got the stress of the show, fear, communication skills that are developing," Burke noted. "You're winning, you're losing, you're doing great, you're failing. There are so many common denominators that are like life, and you're in someone's arms for three months."
"You're breathing with them, you're dancing with them, you're telling a romantic story with your bodies," she continued. "How is that not a love affair? So that's what I really meant."
Brooke Burke and Derek Hough were paired as partners during the show's seventh season in 2008. (Kelsey McNeal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Brooke Burke and Derek Hough stay close as they await results on an episode of "Dancing with the Stars." (Kelsey McNeal/Getty Images)
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"I will always go back to that intimate space with him," Burke explained. "And what we went through as a couple was really intense. And I call that love, I call that passion, and I think that works. And if you don't have that, you're kind of faking it out there. And I'm not a faker, so thanks for asking."
Burke's real life romance with real estate developer Scott Rigsby has been heating up as the two became engaged in September 2021 after dating for two years. Rigsby and Burke made their first red carpet appearance at the Operation Smile's Hollywood Fight Night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in November 2019.
Brooke Burke and Scott Rigsby got engaged in September 2021. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
WATCH: BROOKE BURKE PLANING A ‘NOT TRADITIONAL’ WEDDING TO SCOTT RIGSBY
Now, she's planning her "not traditional" wedding to Rigsby and she said she won't be wearing white.
"I want something a little bit earthier, a little bit more natural, something different," Burke told Fox News Digital. "I'm so not traditional. So the thought of having, like a traditional wedding and the bridesmaids and grooms and all that. Not my jam. So we're definitely going to do something different. Fabulous, big. But I want it to be very special and still maintain some intimacy."
The planning season has been "tough" as she and Rigsby both have daughters who are "very opinionated." She explained, "I'm starting to wonder if it's more for them than it is for us."
Burke also hinted her wedding day could have a "little magic" and teased a surprise appearance from her newest co-stars Penn Jillette and Teller.
Brooke Burke and Scott Rigsby make their red carpet debut together in 2019. (BG002/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images)
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The fitness star now hosts the magicians' newest show, "Fool Us," which airs on the CW. Viewers can expect "joy, wonder, fear, some dangerous tricks, confusion," according to Burke. "Like it was really fun to host a show and to participate in magic and to have my mind blown every single time. I mean, I left this season wondering how in the world so many of these things happened," she told Fox News Digital.
WATCH: TV PERSONALITY BROOKE BURKE WORKS WITH MAGICIANS PENN AND TELLER WHILE HOSTING NEW SHOW
For Burke, it was "an honor" to work with Penn and Teller.
"They're legends. They have such an interesting dynamic. Couldn't be more opposite. They were lovely and they welcomed me. And in the beginning, the boys were like, 'Are you going to be able to handle it or are you going to get grossed out? Are you going to be able to participate?'"
"And they gave me a lot of opportunities. And I worked with one of the magic mentors, I guess you would call them for a couple of weeks to learn this epic trick. I'm super proud of it. I think I pulled it off and I had to perform the trick for Penn and Teller up close and personal. A lot of pressure there, but we had a blast. We laughed. They were so cool."
Brooke Burke currently hosts a show with Penn and Teller. The series, titled "Penn and Teller: Fool Us," airs on the CW. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
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