Dancing with the Stars’ Emma Slater revealed her tight bond with Mauricio Umansky after sparking romance rumors with the reality star.
The 35-year-old professional dancer — who was partnered with the estranged husband of Kyle Richards on DWTS Season 32 — said she expects the pair to be in each other’s lives ‘forever’ after weathering ‘difficult times’ together during their stint on the dancing competition show.
‘I really think that Mauricio is someone who’s going to be in my life forever,’ she told USWeekly on Friday. ‘We really do click.’
She continue: ‘We sort of went through difficult times at the same time together and were each other’s confidants.
‘It was a really nice season. Difficult for both of us, but we’re really really grateful that we had each other.’
Dancing with the Stars’ Emma Slater revealed her tight bond with Mauricio Umansky after sparking romance rumors with the reality star; seen in April
Emma said she expects the pair to be in each other’s lives ‘forever’ after weathering ‘difficult times’ together during their stint on the dancing competition show
When Mauricio embarked on his DWTS journey alongside Emma, he had recently parted ways with his wife, Kyle Richards.
Emma, on the other hand, had previously tied the knot with fellow DWTS pro Sasha Farber but had initiated divorce proceedings in February 2023.
‘You get really close to your partners on the season,’ Emma added. ‘He’s such an amazing person. We have such a good friendship that it meant a lot that he was able to come to the [DWTS] tour and support as well.’
During the conclusion of season 32, Emma, along with several other professional dancers, toured the United States, with Mauricio attending one of the live shows in March.
The real estate broker – who reportedly has ‘no chance of reconciling’ with estranged wife Kyle Richards – appeared in a series of snaps as well as a short clip that was uploaded to Emma’s account.
He had stopped by the Dancing With The Stars tour at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
In October, the two sparked dating rumors when they were seen holding hands after grabbing a bite to eat in Beverly Hills at Matsuhisa.
Shortly after, both addressed the speculation in a video and shut down any rumors that they had sparked up a romance.
Mauricio Umansky, 53, shared a hug with his DWTS partner, Emma Slater, 35, as the pair reunited in new photos shared to Instagram on Sunday
Both Umansky and Slater partnered up for season 32 of the hit competition series – but were eliminated following Monster Night in November
He stopped by the Dancing With The Stars tour over the weekend at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California
Lastly, Slater also included a short clip as Mauricio waved goodbye to his former dance partner after paying a brief visit
The clip was taken as the pair were amidst rehearsals for DWTS and stated, ‘For full clarity, we are not dating.’
Mauricio explained, ‘We’re really good friends, and just to clarify we went to a restaurant to go get some sushi right after rehearsal, we were in our rehearsal clothes. Lots of the stories are wrong, lots of them.’
‘Yes, it’s a very intense week, a very emotional week, we were talking about the week during dinner, and when we came out of dinner, we were recapping and I reached out to grab Emma’s hand.’
He continued, ‘And she grabbed my hand, and then we walked to the cars, you know just recapping and summarizing.’
‘And then the paparazzi caught that moment and it’s become a blown out moment,’ with Emma cutting in to jokingly added, ‘And then all of a sudden we’re dating.’
Not long after the pair were seen holding hands during the past outing, Kyle admitted during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live that she had been ‘hurt.’
‘I was taken aback. That was very hard to see. Yes, that hurt my feelings. I just don’t think you hold hands like that,’ the RHOBH star expressed.
Her fellow co-star, Teddi Mellencamp, was also a guest and added, ‘They are in Beverly Hills.’
The previous month in October, the two sparked dating rumors when they were seen holding hands after grabbing a bite to eat in Beverly Hills at Matsuhisa
The clip was taken as the pair were amidst rehearsals for DWTS and stated, ‘For full clarity, we are not dating’
‘It’s not like they are in some remote location. They are in the middle of Beverly Hills. You know that photographers are going to follow you.’
Kyle continued, ‘I don’t know if anything happened yet but obviously there is something there. Listen, I love him very much and we are amicable, but that really did hurt me.’
At the time, a source exclusively told DailyMail.com that DWTS, ‘has a long history of actual hookups and showmances that have never been revealed – all of which help to build up ratings.’
‘But, with Emma and Mauricio, there is an attraction and chemistry between them that is real…,’ the insider added.
Kyle and estranged husband Mauricio announced their shock split last year in July, and Richards recently addressed cheating rumors on the season 13 reunion of RHOBH earlier this month.
The reality star said that it was ‘nobody’s f***ing business’ as to the reasoning behind the separation, per Page Six.
She also brought up a comment made in the season 13 finale, where the star previously said that, ‘there were things that happened that made [her] lose [her] trust.’
Getting emotional, Richards told host Andy Cohen, ‘With any marriage there’s issues that you have, and they come up, and then something like I said in my interview happened where I did lose my trust.’
‘I care about my family first, and I really did try, and then when I couldn’t, the kind of things that I was – I don’t want to say putting up with – just became more apparent to me.’
She continued, ‘I guess I couldn’t do that anymore and I finally just had a breaking point.’
Not long after the pair were seen holding hands during the past outing, Kyle admitted during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live that she had been ‘hurt’; seen earlier this month in West Hollywood
Kyle and estranged husband Mauricio announced their shock split last year in July, and Richards recently addressed cheating rumors on the season 13 reunion of RHOBH earlier this month; seen in April 2023 in Beverly Hills
The estranged couple tied the knot in 1996 and share children Alexia, 27, Sophia, 24, and Portia, 16. Kyle is also mother to daughter Farrah, 35, whom she welcomed with ex, Guraish Aldjufrie.
On the topic of divorce, Kyle admitted to Cohen, ‘It’s hard for us to say that word, I think, but if he’s looking for a place to move out, I haven’t really seen progress. We get along well, but like friends.’
Richards has also been surrounded by romance rumors of her own – with speculation arising that she had sparked up a romance with country singer, Morgan Wade. However, she has insisted they are only friends.
Kyle was asked by Cohen if there was a chance she would date Wade in the future – to which she replied with, ‘I don’t know.’
‘I’m evolving, I’m changing, I’m clearly going through some evolution of my own, and I don’t know what my future holds right now,’ she explained.
Andy then cut in to say, ‘Maybe next year she’ll be out here on the couch with us,’ causing Kyle to respond, ‘You never know.’
On his show Buying Beverly Hills, Mauricio commented on the rumored romance and said, ‘I have not asked her straight up. There’s a lot of news on the two of them. Are they dating, are they not dating?’
He added, ‘They definitely have some sort of connection together, there’s no doubt about that. They spend a lot of time together. What that connection is, I have no idea…’
Last week, it was revealed that Kyle and Mauricio’s friends and family believe the estranged couple have ‘no chance of reconciling’ after publicly separating in July 2023.
While many Real Housewives of Beverly Hills viewers have remained optimistic that the pair may find a way to mend their nearly 30-year marriage, a source told TMZ that the reality stars have ‘reached the point of no return.’
The estranged couple tied the knot in 1996 and share children Alexia, 27, Sophia, 24, and Portia, 16. Kyle is also mother to daughter Farrah, 35, whom she welcomed with ex, Guraish Aldjufrie
Richards has also been surrounded by romance rumors of her own – with speculation arising that she had sparked up a romance with country singer, Morgan Wade. However, she has insisted they are only friends
The insider noted that ‘those closest to them would be utterly flabbergasted’ if they managed to ‘suddenly patch things up’ following reports he refuses to address his wife’s close friendship with rumored girlfriend Morgan Wade.
Another tipster claimed to the outlet that the TV personality and real estate mogul were intentionally ‘dragging out their relationship plight for the sake of reality show cameras.’
As for how they are navigating living under one roof following their split, one source noted that ‘they don’t have any real reason to rush to file for divorce as they have multiple homes they can bounce between if things get tense.’
Additionally, they’re determined to remain amicable because of their ‘history together’ and their children.
