The tormented childhood behind this star’s glittering career

For years, she has been the face of “sunshine and positivity” on global television, a high-octane performer whose athleticism and charm earned her three Primetime Emmy nominations for Dancing with the Stars. But beneath the “sexy facade” Julianne Hough was forced to maintain from a young age lies a history of profound trauma and a childhood she describes as “tormented.”

In a series of raw, late-career revelations, the 37-year-old star has begun to dismantle the polished image expected of her, speaking out about a lifetime of abuse that began in the quiet cul-de-sacs of Utah and followed her across the Atlantic to the elite dance studios of London.

The Cul-de-Sac Crime: A Decades-Long Silence

Hough’s history of trauma began in Orem, Utah, where she was raised as the youngest of five in a prominent Mormon household. In a 2024 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, she broke a decades-long silence, revealing for the first time that she was abused by a neighbor at the age of four.

“I’ve actually never said that out loud to anybody in an interview before,” Hough admitted. She recalled returning home as a small child with her clothes inside out—a haunting visual that prompted her mother, Marianne, to “freak out.”

The family’s response was a swift, geographic pivot: they moved. “I guess my mom did do what she could,” Hough said through tears. “She just wanted to move and leave. She didn’t want to deal with it… she did want to get us out.”

Hough reflected on how the “shiny” expectations of Mormon culture, where families are pressured to appear perfect, left her with a lingering sense of injustice. “There was not a lot of repercussion for what had happened. So that was a very challenging thing to come to terms with, that nobody did anything.”

10 Years Old and ‘Looking 28’

The “pivot” became a recurring theme in Hough’s life. When her parents, Marianne and Bruce—a two-time chairman of the Utah Republican Party—underwent a bitter divorce, 10-year-old Julianne was sent to London to study at the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

The move thrust a child into a grueling, adult world. Living away from her parents, she navigated the London Underground alone at 6:45 each morning, often getting lost in the sprawling city. It was here, in the high-stakes world of competitive ballroom dance, that she says adults took advantage of her vulnerability.

“While I was in London, I was abused, mentally, physically, everything,” she told Cosmopolitan. She described the jarring disconnect of being a child forced to project maturity. “I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer. I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life.”

The pressure to maintain this image robbed her of a traditional childhood. “When I look back, I think it’s so sad I have no pictures of me with a cute, bare, 10-year-old face,” she remarked.

The New Kid: Bullying and Betrayal

The transition back to the United States was equally fraught. Enrolling in high school in Las Vegas and Utah, Hough found that her European training made her a target rather than a star.

“I got bullied in high school big-time,” she told Redbook. “People looked at me like, ‘She thinks she’s all that.’” The isolation culminated in a cruel prank during her senior year: “I got asked to prom by a guy, and he ended up ditching me that day because the girls had told him to do it.”

A Legacy of Resilience

Despite the anxiety, depression, and body-shaming she has navigated behind the scenes, Hough’s professional ascent remained unchecked. Her story is one of a “innocent little girl” who learned to survive by pivoting, eventually transforming her pain into the discipline required to reach the pinnacle of her industry.

Today, Hough’s openness about her past is a deliberate attempt to shed the “shiny” facade of her upbringing. By speaking her truth, she is finally allowing the world to see the person behind the performer—a woman whose success is defined not just by her Emmys, but by her survival.

By the age of 15, Julianne Hough had already lived several lifetimes. Despite the “demons” of her past and the isolation of her training in London, she returned to the United States as a competitive juggernaut, dominating the ballroom circuit before pivoting toward Hollywood.

Her early acting credits read like a fever dream of a rising star, beginning with a background role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and escalating into a string of leading roles in Burlesque, Footloose, Rock of Ages, and Safe Haven. Yet, for the American public, she remains most inextricably linked to ABC’s Dancing with the Stars—the platform that transformed her from a technical expert into a household name. Joining in 2007, she secured two Mirrorball trophies before transitioning into a judge’s seat in 2014, a move that solidified her status as the show’s definitive authority.

The Seacrest Years: Glamour and the ‘Raw’ Aftermath

Perhaps no chapter of Hough’s life was as heavily scrutinized as her three-year romance with media mogul Ryan Seacrest. Between 2010 and 2013, the couple was the epitome of a Hollywood power pairing. Hough was candid about her nerves during their first date, admitting she practically “interviewed” him to gauge his loyalty and family values.

“I’m very in love, and it feels great,” she told InStyle in 2012. “I feel like I’m more comfortable in my own skin. You see me instead of all the makeup and hair.”

However, the 2013 split forced a jarring return to reality. Hough later reflected on the lifestyle shift, moving from private planes, yachts, and mansions back to a more grounded existence. “My life was pretty different from where I grew up,” she admitted during an Instagram Live, noting that the breakup forced her to re-evaluate who she was outside of a “high-profile” context.

A Marriage’s End and a Family’s Healing

Following Seacrest, Hough found love with NHL player Brooks Laich. Their 2017 wedding was a picturesque affair, but the marriage ultimately dissolved as Hough reportedly sought the “freedom” to explore her evolving identity.

Ironically, the end of her marriage provided the catalyst for the most significant emotional work of her life: reconnecting with her parents. After years of estrangement and the “pivoting” she used to survive her childhood, Hough found herself in a place where she could finally drop her guard.

“They showed up for me as my parents and I needed that,” she reflected. “I reclaimed my parental relationship… I got to be the kid and they got to take care of me. That was the most healing time for us.”

This period allowed the family to address the trauma of Hough’s past abuse. She acknowledged that her parents grappled with profound guilt over what she endured during her teenage years in London—a time when they felt helpless and uncertain of how to protect her. “Maybe I can hear you more now,” she said of the reconciliation. “My heart is open.”

The Silent Struggle: Endometriosis and Advocacy

While her public image was often one of peak physical fitness, Hough was privately battling endometriosis. Diagnosed in 2008 after years of dismissing debilitating pain as “normal” period symptoms, she eventually underwent surgery and became a vocal advocate for women’s reproductive health.

The condition also prompted difficult conversations regarding her future fertility. Hough and then-husband Laich opted to freeze her eggs as a “precautionary measure.” She later noted that her symptoms improved as she began “de-layering” the stress and shame often associated with female reproductive disorders.

Accountability and Evolution

Hough’s journey hasn’t been without public missteps. In 2013, she faced intense backlash for a Halloween costume involving blackface while portraying the character “Crazy Eyes” from Orange Is the New Black. The incident remains a significant mark on her record, though she issued a prompt apology on X (formerly Twitter), stating it was never her intention to be “disrespectful or demeaning.”

Uzo Aduba, the actress who played the role, eventually accepted the apology, suggesting the world “move on” from the “unfortunate event.”

Love on New Terms in 2025

Now serving as the host of Dancing with the Stars, Hough entered 2025 with a new perspective on romance. She told E! News that she is no longer interested in a specific “type,” opting instead for a deeper, more ephemeral connection. “It’s all energy-based,” she explained. “It’s more connection, and that’s it.”

From the “tormented” child in London to a woman who has navigated the highest peaks and lowest valleys of fame, Julianne Hough’s story is no longer just about the dance—it is about the resilience required to keep moving when the music stops.