Julianne Hough is providing a glimpse into the dynamics of her past marriage with ex-husband Brooks Laich . While appearing on the Tuesday, August 27, episode of the “ Jamie Kern Lima Show ,” Hough, 36, explained that her relationship with Laich, 41, was the “greatest thing that could have happened to me at that time of my life.” “What I needed at that time was to reconnect with my 10-year-old self,” she explained to host Jamie Kern Lima .
“What did I need at 10? I really needed safety and almost, like, a father figure to come in and be that grounding force of stability.” According to Hough, Laich “provided such a beautiful foundation for me to be a little girl, and as that was the dynamic of our relationship, I was able to start that healing. When I started going through all that journey, I started being more of a woman.
” Fortunately, Laich gave her a “little girl feeling,” as well as “stability” and a “stable man to be there.” During the August 15 episode of “The Jamie Kern Lima Show,” the Dancing With the Stars cohost opened up about her childhood trauma and revealed she was sexually abused at 4 years old by a neighbor. Hough said she “blocked out” the experience for years, but she was able to come face-to-face with the trauma through her recent healing journey.
“I forgot about it. Then other things happened later in my childhood and at about 15, and I started sharing those things but I forgot about the neighbor thing,” Hough exp.