'Dancing With the Stars' Partners Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater Address Romance Rumors

Emma Slater and Mauricio Umansky are addressing their romance rumors. The Dancing With the Stars partners were recently seen holding hands while having a "flirty dinner" in Beverly Hills. Slater and fellow DWTS-pro Sasha Farber officially split last year after four years together. Meanwhile, Umansky and his estranged wife Kyle Richards are currently separated but had seemingly been trying to make it work. Richards recently deleted a post supporting Umansky after rumors swirled about the DWTS couple. Now, the two are clearing the air.

Via E! News, the duo took to Umansky's Instagram Story with Slater to address the rumors. "We do want to address this story, this whole thing that's going out and about, about whether Emma and I are dating," Umansky shared. "About whether we went out on a date. For full clarity, we are not dating."  Slater echoed her dance partner and clarified that they were not dating. Umansky continued, "We are really good friends. We've been dancing together for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day."

"Guys, you don't understand, it's intense," Emma Slater chimed in. "Like you really form a very, very special bond. And I think we're similar personalities, so we've got a super supportive relationship. We're definitely there for each other. And it's beautiful, that's a great thing." The real estate broker then addressed their "flirty dinner" and the hand-holding, noting they "went to a restaurant to go get some sushi right after rehearsal, we were in our rehearsal clothes. Lots of the stories are wrong. And yes, it's 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, and she grabbed my hand."

This week on Dancing With the Stars, the celebrities recounted their "Most Memorable Year." Mauricio Umansky's most memorable year was 1996, which was "a year of change." He explained that he got married to Kyle Richards, they had two daughters, and it was the four of them "living in a two-bedroom condo." Unfortunately, he was fired from his job, and he couldn't support his family. Umansky noted that Richards even had to clip coupons for them so they could survive. She encouraged him to get into real estate, and the rest is history.

"Most Memorable Year" was emotional for everyone involved, and it sounds like rehearsals weren't any better. Sometimes, all you need is a friend for support, and it seems like that's all it was for Slater and Umansky. However, it wouldn't be surprising if something were to happen between the two of them, given that they aren't the only DWTS couple rumored to be an item. Fans will just have to tune in on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ to watch them, and only as dance partners.