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Kelsey Lentz
Friday, December 29th, 2023
Credit: ABC
Dancing With the Stars pro Britt Stewart and actor Daniel Durant are engaged! Durant proposed to his former DWTS partner on Christmas Day 2023 while on a hike in Lake Arrowhead, California, with their families. Keep reading for all the details on their engagement, as well as photos of the ring.
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Stewart and Durant first met when they were paired together on Season 31 of ABC’s hit dance competition show. Durant, a Deaf actor best known for his role in CODA, taught Stewart sign language while they competed on the show, which allowed them to communicate without an ASL translator and ultimately place fifth. Throughout their time on DWTS, the pair grew very close, but they did not begin dating until after their elimination. They went public with their relationship on Valentine’s Day 2023. “My Valentine. ♥️,” Durant captioned a selfie of him and Stewart on a pier.
Nearly one year after their relationship debut, Durant got down on one knee and asked the dancer to marry him. In an interview with People, the actor detailed how he popped the question, explaining that he waited until the group reached the top of the mountain on their Christmas hike. He then had each family member share what their were looking forward to in 2024. “I was the last one — and I started talking about the year, about us meeting and everything that happens in life. I just feel like there’s balance. She sees me. She knows my culture, my language, and understands everything about me,” Durant said, adding that he started “welling up” with tears at that point.
Stewart happily said yes, later telling the outlet: “We were both emotional, overwhelmed with joy and at peace knowing that this would eventually be part of our story.” She added, “It felt like magic, but at the same time, it felt right and normal.”
The DWTS pro shared their engagement news on Instagram on Dec. 29. She posted a photo of herself showing off the stunning engagement ring as Durant held her waist, as well as a shot of the pair kissing. She captioned the post simply: “Forever!!”
Several of Stewart’s fellow DWTS pros congratulated the couple in the comments section. “Absolutely the BEST NEWS ON THE PLANET!!!! Crying, so happy for you both!!! You guys are getting married!!!!” Emma Slater wrote. Pasha Pashkov commented: “Omg yes congratulations!!!! Co-host Julianne Hough also chimed in, writing: “Yes Yes and more YES!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations you two beautiful babes 🥹❤️👏.”
The engagement came one day after Durant’s 34th birthday, which Stewartmarked with a sweet Instagram tribute. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY my love! Daniel, you have completely changed my life! You have brought so much love, joy, laughter, light and much more to my every day,” she captioned a video montage of Durant. “We have had the most amazing experiences in the past year and I can’t wait for what our futures holds. I wish for you a year filled with all that you desire to continue loving and growing. I love you forever!” Their happy news is also perfect timing, as Stewart is about to embark on the DWTS live tour, which kicks off in January 2023.
For more on Dancing With the Stars, check out this gallery on all of the pros and stars who found love on the show.
Image: Getty Images
1/9
<p>We know that things can get <em>steamy</em> on <em>Dancing With the Stars</em>. Over the years, celebrity contestants and pro dancers have fallen in love on the reality dancing competition. There have been numerous engagements, marriages and babies thanks to <em>DWTS</em>, but which relationships have stood the test of time? Keep reading to learn <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/dancing-with-the-stars-2023-cast">which <em>Dancing With the Stars</em> couples are still together in 2023</a>.</p><p><a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/tag/dancing-with-the-stars/"><em>DWTS</em></a> is ABC’s popular dance competition where professional dancers team up with celebrities to win the coveted Mirrorball trophy. The show premiered in 2005 and has aired for 31 seasons. Each week, competitors are eliminated based on public voting and scores received from the judges. Season 31 of <em>DWTS</em> premiered on September 26, 2023, and features Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough as judges. Check out our list of the <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/dancing-with-the-stars-2023-cast/dancing-with-the-stars-season-31/">entire cast</a> and <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/who-went-home-dancing-with-the-stars-2023/">eliminations thus far</a>.</p><p>In honor of the couples that are still together, we’ve rounded up <em>Dancing With the Stars</em> pros and contestants who are <em>way</em> more than friends. From Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd to Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert, see which of your favorite <em>DWTS </em>couples are still going strong.</p>
Image: Getty Images
2/9
<p>Although the pro dancers were both on <em>DWTS</em>, the couple actually met in July 2009 when they were working on Broadway’s <em>Burn the Floor</em>. The duo started dating in 2012, three years after they first met and a year after Peta joined <em>DWTS</em>. After a brief split in 2013, Maks and Peta were spotted again in January 2015 – and almost one year later – they announced their engagement in December 2015. The couple welcomed their first child in January 2017, and they the knot six months later at City Hall in New York City in July 2017. <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/689766/peta-murgatroyd-maks-chmerkovskiy-third-baby/">Their second son</a>, Rio John Chmerkovskiy, was born on June 18, 2023.</p>
Image: Getty Images
3/9
<p>Pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev was partnered with WWE wrestler Nikki Bella during Season 25 of <em>DWTS</em> in 2017 (although Bella was engaged to John Cena at the time). Two years later, <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/nikki-bella-is-dating-dwts-artem-chigvintsev-details/"><em>Us Weekly</em></a> confirmed that the pair was an item. Since then, Bella and Chigvintsev got engaged in November 2019, had their son in July 2020 and wed in August 2022.</p><p>“They say love conquers all…and it sure does. So many people in the beginning said it was just lust, my feelings weren’t real, it was just the dance, the infatuation, the mystery of this person, but I knew & felt it was always more,” Bella penned <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Sy5lQFk6C/">on Instagram</a> on March 28, 2020. “I listened to my heart, my soul, my body, I knew deep down that this was God’s gift, his answered prayer.”</p>
Image: Getty Images
4/9
<p>Karagach and Pashkov’s romantic history goes way back. Although the pro dancers both joined <em>DWTS</em> for Season 28, they first met when they were partnered in competitive dance together in 2009. Karagach was just 15 years old and Pashkov was 23. The pair got married in 2014 and welcomed their first child together, Nikita, in May 2023.</p><p>“Oh man, we were close already. We’re together for almost 15 years,” Karagach told <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/dwts-daniella-karagach-pasha-pashkovs-relationship-timeline/"><em>Us Weekly</em></a> about how her relationship with Pashkov shifted after their daughter. “He’s literally the best father. And just watching him with her, holding our daughter, it just made me love him even more.”</p>
Image: Getty Images
5/9
<p>Chmerkovskiy has been a <em>DWTS</em> staple since Season 2, but he didn’t meet his current wife and pro dancer, Jenna Johnson, until she joined the reality competition in Season 18 in 2014. The pair got engaged in 2018 and wed in April 2019. Their son, Rome Valentin Chmerkovskiy, arrived in January 2023. “I will love you from now till eternity. Happy April 13th, our wedding anniversary,” Chmerkovskiy <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-75_YtjcJB/">penned on Instagram</a> to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.</p>
Image: Gettty Images
6/9
<p>After they competed with each other on Season 31 of <em>Dancing With the Stars</em>, Britt Stewart and Daniel Durant’s relationship continued to blossom. The CODA actor and pro dancer announced their relationship on Valentine’s Day in 2023. “Honestly, just life with Daniel is the most enjoyable thing. I know that he would say the same thing. We talk about it all the time,” Stewart told <a href="https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/dwts-britt-stewart-daniel-durants-relationship-timeline-pics/"><em>Us Weekly</em></a>. “Life together, growing together, learning about each other and the life that we wanna create is the most important and special thing for us. And then all the travel and all the different things that we get to do together, they’re just all bonuses.”</p>
Image: Getty Images
7/9
<p>Sharna Burgess, — a former professional dancer on <em>Dancing With the Stars</em> — and Brian Austin Green — an actor best known for shows like <em>Beverly Hills, 90210</em> and <em>Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles</em> — started dating in 2020 after Green’s split from his ex-wife, Megan Fox. A year later, Green was announced as a contestant on <em>DWTS</em> Season 30 with Burgess as his partner.</p><p>Burgess and Green were eliminated in the third week, but their relationship continued after the dance floor. Burgess and Green announced on September 23, 2023, that they were engaged after three years of dating. “Our latest chapter,” Burgess captioned an Instagram video of her holding Green and his children’s hands.</p>
Image: Kym Johnson and Robert-Herjavec
8/9
<p>Kym Johnson, a former <em>DWTS</em> pro, was partnered with businessman Robert Herjavec for Season 20 in 2015. Johnson and Kerrjavev revealed their engagement in February 2016 and tied the knot in July 2016. The pair had twins, Hudson and Haven, in April 2018. In August 2023, the couple recently celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary with a trip to Canada with friends and family.</p>
Image: Getty Images
9/9
