Inside the ‘Dancing’ Pros’ Bond

Alan Bersten and Emma Slater announced their relationship without saying anything at all.

After months of speculation from fans, the two Dancing with the Stars pros revealed their romantic connection onstage during the final DWTS: Live! show in April 2025. Following the surprise hard launch, Bersten told E! News, “We’re just enjoying life together. No pressure there, but we’re just enjoying it.”

While the two pros have known each other for nearly a decade, their relationship didn’t turn into something deeper until more than a year after Slater divorced fellow pro Sasha Farber at the beginning of 2023.

Bersten and Slater are both working as pros on season 34 of DWTS, premiering Sept. 16, but instead of being pushed apart by the competition, she told PEOPLE they have been helping each other succeed.

“Alan came into our dance rehearsal and helped out with some things,” Slater said. “I came into their dance rehearsal, helped out. It’s great to be supportive like that.”

Here’s everything to know about Alan Bersten and Emma Slater’s relationship.

Bersten and Slater met on Dancing with the Stars

Bersten and Slater joined DWTS as pro dancers in 2017 and 2012, respectively. For years, the pair were nothing more than coworkers and friends, but in October 2024, rumors began swirling that they may have become something more.

A photo of Bersten and Slater holding hands circulated on X, with many fans speculating that a romance had developed between the pros.

In the midst of the rumors, Bersten and Slater remained tight-lipped about any involvement beyond their professional relationship.

They announced their relationship with a public kiss

On the final night of the DWTS: Live! 2025 tour, Bersten and Slater closed the show with a performance together. DWTS fan Callie Justine captured the unexpected moment when the couple briefly paused mid-routine to share a kiss before resuming their performance with beaming smiles as the crowd cheered for them.

“pov: you have a front row seat to the greatest hard launch of all time,” Justine wrote over the viral TikTok clip. “Not to be dramatic but watching this live made my entire life,” she added in the caption.

After the impromptu kiss, Bersten told E! that he and Slater were “enjoying life together,” but added that they wouldn’t let their connection disrupt the upcoming season of DWTS. “We’re both professionals, so we’re going to keep it professional,” he said. “I’m just excited for season 34.”

DWTS showmates knew about Bersten and Slater’s relationship

While the public didn’t know about Bersten and Slater’s romance, their DWTS family did.

According to Alfonso Ribeiro, DWTS host, “there was no surprise” amongst the show’s cast about Slater and Bersten’s “connection.” One thing that was a surprise, however, was that the couple planned to reveal their relationship status during the live tour finale.

“Emma’s my sister and she’s at my house several times a week,” Ribeiro told PEOPLE at the time. “So, clearly, my household knew what was going on. We just didn’t know that they had made the decision to launch.”

“At the end of the day, [I’m] happy for them,” The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum continued. “When people find something that they enjoy — enjoy it, live it. Why live a lie?”

Additionally, Ribeiro noted that the launch made sense given “rumors were out there” about a romance between the dancers. “I think that people were already [speculating],” he said.

Slater has met Bersten’s family

Bersten revealed the seriousness of his relationship with Slater in a July 2025 Instagram post. Alongside a carousel of photos of the couple during a trip to visit his family, Bersten wrote, “Had the best time this weekend back home, celebrating my niece’s Bat Mitzvah!”

Bersten shared a few photos from the celebration, including a shot of Slater holding a little girl on a dance floor, as well as a variety of snaps from a tubing trip they took on a river. One riverfront photo — the first in the carousel — even showed Bersten and Slater packing on the PDA with a kiss in the water.

Their relationship followed Slater’s divorce from fellow DWTS pro Sasha Farber

Bersten isn’t the first fellow DWTS pro Slater has been romantically involved with.

In 2016, after around five years of dating, Slater and Farber famously got engaged during a live taping of DWTS. Two years later, the former couple said “I do” in March 2018 during an L.A. wedding. After nearly five years of marriage, PEOPLE confirmed that Slater and Farber had separated in August 2022, and she later filed for divorce in February 2023.

Months after filing, Slater told E! News that she and Farber were on good terms, despite their marriage coming to an end. “We support each other so much that I want the very best for Sasha,” she said. “We support each other, very, very truly.”

Bersten also had a former relationship that began on DWTS

While Slater was engaged to Farber and planning their nuptials, Bersten was romantically involved with one of his former DWTS celebrity partners. He and Alexis Ren met in 2018 after being paired on the show, but by the time the competition ended, their romance had fizzled out.

In the comments of a December 2018 Instagram post, one of Ren’s fans asked if she and Bersten were “done,” and the model confirmed that their relationship had run its course in her reply.

“feelings aren’t black and white and neither is life,” she began. “We’re focused on our careers and growing as individuals. He’s an amazing person and I’m grateful he came into my life. He’s on his own journey and I respect that.”