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Dancing Stars React to Latest On-set Romance!
Derek Hough and Shannon Elizabeth by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
Dancing with the Stars' Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough have taken their tango off the dance floor. The couple tried to keep the romance a secret, but the cat was let out of the bag when on April 17 pictures surfaced of them kissing on the beach in Malibu, California. "Their relationship came as a surprise to me because we don't really see the other couples except on show days," says Dancing pro Edyta Sliwinska. "But it was a nice surprise. It's very cute."
"I think it's great," adds Hough's best friend and roommate, Mark Ballas. "Derek is so private about all those things. He still hasn't told me that it's official. But whenever they're together, it seems like they're having a great time. And they're putting on a great show."
Marissa Jaret Winokur isn't at all surprised by the liaison. "Either you're going to love, love, love your partner or you're going to hate them," she says. "Dancing, way more than singing or acting, is 10 times more physical. If a man that I had a crush on said, 'That looks sexy,' forget it! I think that's why so many people do hook up on this show. You become so comfortable, and you spend so many hours touching each other. How could it not become physical if you're not going home to someone — your significant other — to really touch?"
"I'm not shocked they're a real couple," adds Winokur. "I'm shocked that there's only one [off-stage couple] this season." Winokur also was startled when she was reminded of the age difference between Elizabeth and Hough, who's all of 22. "Is he really?" she marvels. "And she's 34? I didn't know that. But it's all about the dancing. He sure doesn't dance like a 22-year-old."
Interviewed just days before the kissing pictures surfaced, Elizabeth spoke about her partner in glowing terms. "We don't need to create chemistry," she said. "It just happens. We have very similar personalities. We have the same sense of humor. He's seen me without makeup, without these [fancy] dresses. He's seen me be really, really gross."
Asked if she would mind if romance rumors began to swirl around the pair, Elizabeth previously said, "My boyfriend would. But I could do worse." (Before the Dancing season kicked off, Elizabeth identified her beau as Brent, an eighth-grade math teacher.) Elizabeth and Hough have already weathered some ups and downs: Hough has been sent to the hospital twice, for a neck injury and possible food poisoning. Elizabeth even had to practice with another pro, Jonathan Roberts, in the crucial hours leading up to a performance. And though Elizabeth appreciates Roberts' skills, she says Hough is her perfect partner. "Derek and I were like instant best friends," she says. "It's happened a lot where he knows what I'm thinking and I haven't said a word."
So she doesn't mind that this season has been an emotional roller-coaster, almost losing Derek twice? "We're not just about a dance," says Elizabeth. "We're about a whole story."
A bigger story than we knew. — Deborah Starr Seibel
More Dancing news and views:
• Top 7 Power Rankings: Last Dance for Marissa?
• WATCH VIDEO: Julianne Hough's Music Video
• Winokur the Latest to Dance into Talk-show Gig
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Apr 21, 2008 1:23 PM
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I had my suspicions about these two. I'm happy if they are happy. Good for them.
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Apr 21, 2008 2:17 PM
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I knew it!
How totally cool. They sure make a great-looking couple, and they definitely look happy.
Derek and Shannon, best of luck on and off the dance floor. 
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Apr 21, 2008 2:33 PM
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IF it's true, I think it's great, and the age difference matters not at all. It's the attitude, the "fit", the personalities, the chemistry, so much more than age. BUT I say don't believe anything until the two of them admit it. SO, they were caught kissing? So what. That could be strictly chemistry, and because they're spending so much time together. FUN and EXCITING folks, but I think it would be sweet if we had another Dancing with the Stars couple from this!!
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Apr 21, 2008 5:14 PM
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I can't say I'm surprised. I noticed the way she has been looking at him the past few weeks, like he's a tall glass of water in the desert. I do hope he doesn't get any more injuries!
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Apr 21, 2008 6:11 PM
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Why is this big news? Its not like her being divorced is a scandal these days. I think Demi & Ashton have taken the sting out of the "older woman" shock value. So she's 34 to his 23. Big Whoop!
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Apr 22, 2008 12:58 PM
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He is just barely legal. It would be different if she was 45 and he was 28, is not that she is too old for him but that he is too young for her.
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Apr 22, 2008 1:11 PM
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What about the boyfriend? Anybody ask him for an opinion?
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Apr 22, 2008 2:14 PM
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I love watching Derek and Shannon together. They just give me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside! I LOVE IT!! They are great together. I'd watch them everyday. Thanks
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May 10, 2008 12:32 PM
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