Helio On His Broken Engagement & Rumors Of A ‘Dancing’ Romance

“Dancing With the Stars” champ Helio Castroneves tells Access Hollywood his engagement had been broken “off for one or two weeks” and talks about his professional relationship with dance partner Julianne Hough.

Just hours after becoming “Dancing With the Stars” newest champion, race car driver Castroneves’ personal life took a sudden turn with the announcement that he and his fiancée, Miami jewelry designer, Aliette (Ali) Vazquez, broke off their year-long engagement.

Castroneves told Access, “Ali is a fantastic person. We had the engagement off for one or two weeks. It’s a shame; she’s a great person. I’m sure we’re going to be friends.”

While Castroneves said that Vazquez was not happy with a kiss he shared with his dance partner Hough, during their quickstep dance last night, Castroneves told Access Hollywood, “I was like, ‘Yea! I got a kiss, yea!‘”

Castroneves and Hough insist that there is nothing going on off the dance floor and when asked, they said together, “Noooooo. We are just friends.” Hough, who was also partnered with last year’s champ, Apolo Anton Ohno, added, “There was nothing with Apolo last season and there’s nothing with Helio now.”

Castroneves added of his partner, “She’s amazing. I was listening to her, she was the engine of my car I was driving and again everything, all the way, it was a great ride.”

In talking about the kind of student Castroneves was, Hough said, “He had to give that control to me and give that trust and he ended up doing that and we’ve become such good friends now and we’re going to be friends forever. I love this guy!”

When asked about the numerous looks the pair noticeably exchanged during their interview with Access Hollywood, Castroneves said, “The reason I keep looking to her is not only because she’s beautiful…The point is, sometimes I don’t understand a lot of things, especially the questions, so I look to her.” Hough added, “I’m his translator!”

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