NHL Star Brooks Laich And His Ex-Wife, Actress Julianne Hough Faced Difficulty In Conceiving Due To The Actress’s Endometriosis

The power couple, NHL star Brooks Laich and beloved actress Julianne Hough shared their struggle with pregnancy during their marriage.

Born on June 23, 1983, Evan Brooks Laich is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played over 750 NHL games for four teams: the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Los Angeles Kings.

He was the most valuable player and leading scorer for the “midget AAA Tisdale Trojans” in the 1999–2000 season.

On the contrary, Julianne Alexandra Hough, an American dancer, actress, and television personality, won two seasons of Dancing with the Stars with her celebrity partners.

Moreover, Hough served as a judge on America’s Got Talent for its 14th season.

In Addition to IVF, Julianne Hough Also Opted For Freezing Some Of Her Eggs

In 2014, the NHL star Brooks Laich started dating professional dancer and actress Julianne Hough.

The couple often shared glimpses of their time together on social media, highlighting their deep love and admiration for each other.

When asked what made her relationship with Brooks different, Julianne said she felt comfortable being herself around the athlete.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough)

Their relationship developed gradually, beginning with an immediate connection and deepening as they shared life.

And on August 18, 2015, Julianne and Brooks announced their engagement via Instagram.

The pair married on July 8, 2017, in a lovely outdoor wedding in Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

 “I’m just feeling so happy and blessed every moment of every day. My favorite thing about being engaged is just a sense of warmth and just joy.”

Julianne Hough

After their wedding, they settled into their cozy home in Los Angeles, California, with their husky, Koda.

Throughout their marriage, Julianne and Brooks candidly talked about therapy, communication, sexuality, and mutual discovery, sharing details of their dynamics in public.

“When I took the test, I realized that there were certain things that gave me connection and intimacy that were different than what gave Brooks connection and intimacy.”

“By almost learning each other’s language — sort of like love languages — it was almost like a menu of how we could please each other sexually, but also intimately.”

“A lot of people don’t know even what they want. My curiosity has saved my life and honestly saved our relationship many times because we’ve been curious about like, ‘Hey, something doesn’t feel right. Instead of just accepting it for how it is, let’s look into something.'”

Julianne Hough

Additionally, Julianne has been candid about her struggle with endometriosis. Since being diagnosed with the condition in 2008, she has become an advocate for endometriosis awareness.

Julianne has also revealed how endometriosis affected her physically and emotionally, severely impacting her personal life and relationships.

Furthermore, Brooks and Julianne shared their experiences with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to help others considering the procedure.  

Due to Julianne’s condition, the couple were aware of the potential challenges of conceiving naturally in the future.

Furthermore, the actress froze some of her eggs alongside starting IVF. The athlete expressed his gratitude towards his wife for her commitment.

“Looking at the reality of our lives, my wife is a very driven business woman, has her career. She just turned 30 last year and so we wanted to.”

“She has endometriosis—which could complicate pregnancy—it doesn’t mean it will, but it could—and so the smarter thing for us to do is [was] freeze some of her eggs and if we need this as a back up plan in two years or three years from now, whenever we want to start having kids and maybe we can’t, we have a back-up plan.”

“My wife and I want to have children in our future, and going through IVF was a decision we made to increase the [odds] of that happening. I wish people would perceive it [that way instead of with] shame or guilt.”

Brooks Laich

However, Julianne revealed that her decision to freeze her eggs was more of a precautionary measure than a response to being unable to conceive.

“We never actually tried to get pregnant. It was more of a precautionary measure: Let’s do our due diligence for the future by freezing eggs.”

“I think the healthier I am from the inside out — as far as my beliefs, my energy, what I’m putting into my body — the better prepared I’ll be when the time comes.”

Julianne Hough

Despite their deep love and connection, the pair announced their split on May 29, 2020, but reconciled by early September. 

Hough filed for divorce on November 2, 2020, eventually finalizing in 2022.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir (@katrintanja)

After his split from Hough, Laich started dating two-time CrossFit Games champion Katrín Davíðsdóttir on Instagram in 2021.

In Case You Didn’t Know

• Brooks Laich’s father worked as a high school teacher and principal.
• Laich has two siblings: an older sister and a younger brother.
• Julianne Hough co-owns a wine brand, Fresh Vine Wine, with actress Nina Dobrev.
• Hough drew criticism in October 2013 when she wore blackface as part of a Halloween costume.