Burke admitted to having three romantic relationships with partners during her run on the series and attributed the connections to the “insane” rehearsal schedules, which bring dance partners into repeated intimate interactions for up to three months.

“You’re not like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s cute. Like, no, no, I either like you or I don’t, because you’re constantly [together] eight hours a day, seven days a week,” Burke said.

However, not every partnership is love at first sight. Burke described each pairing as an “arranged marriage” in which the pro and the contestant “either love each other or hate each other.”

“It’s so intimate, and you’re stuck with this person,” Burke said. “Like, you better try and make it work at least.”

The partnerships are even messier for those who come to the stage with a ring on their finger. Burke said one former (married) celebrity contestant confessed that he had a crush on his (married) dance partner, and though nothing happened between the two, suspicions of an affair affected their families.

“You get close in so many ways,” she said. “These celebrities are so vulnerable, because in order to succeed you have to strip it all down. And that alone? I bet you most of these married celebrities have never even done that with their wives.”