October 26, 2023

Mauricio Umansky and his 'Dancing with the Stars' partner Emma Slater shut down dating rumors

WATCH: Pros of 'Dancing With the Stars' perform on 'GMA'

Mauricio Umansky and his "Dancing with the Stars" partner Emma Slater are shutting down rumors that they are dating.

"We do want to address this story -- this whole thing that's going out and about, about whether or not Emma and I are dating, whether we went out on a date," Umansky began in his video with Slater. "For full clarity, we are not dating."

"We're not dating," Slater added.

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Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater compete on "Dancing With The Stars."
MORE: Mauricio Umansky on why his latest 'Dancing with the Stars' dance is for his family

"We are really good friends, we've been dancing together now for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day," Umansky continued. Slater added that the two share a "super supportive relationship" and are "definitely there for each other."

Umansky also addressed paparazzi photos that were taken of them recently in Los Angeles, in which they appeared to be holding hands. "Just to clarify, we went to a restaurant to go get some sushi right after rehearsal. We were in rehearsal clothes," the real estate mogul explained. "Lots of the stories are wrong. Lots of them, OK?"

"We had a very -- it's a very intense week, a very emotional week," said Umansky, who was referring to this week's theme that highlighted each contestant's "Most Memorable Year."

"We were talking about the week during dinner and when we came out of dinner, we were recapping, and I reached out to grab Emma's hand and she grabbed my hand, and then we walked to the car just recapping and summarizing -- and you know the paparazzi caught that moment, and it's become a blown-out moment," he said.

"And all of a sudden, we're dating," Slater added with a laugh.

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Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater compete on "Dancing With The Stars."

At the very end of the video, Umansky said he hopes this "clarifies" things and that he and Slater are "gonna keep on dancing."

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Umansky is currently separated from his wife, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Star" Kyle Richards.

Richards spoke about their separation to Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" on Wednesday, praising her kids for their support during the split. She was also asked about the recent paparazzi photos of Slater and Umansky holding hands. She admitted she was "taken aback" by the photos.

"That was very hard to see," she said. "That hurt my feelings."

"I just don't think you hold hands like that with somebody," Richards added. "The thing is this, I don't know if it's happened yet, but obviously there's something there. And listen, I love him very much, and we are amicable, but that really did hurt me."

Michael Kovac/Getty Images, FILE
Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 31st Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 12, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.

Because of the photos that were taken of Umansky and Slater, Richards admitted that she deleted a social post of hers supporting Umansky on "Dancing with the Stars," but said she still voted for Umansky and Slater.

MORE: 'Dancing with the Stars' recap: Mira Sorvino eliminated, Len Goodman honored

Ahead of his performance this week, Umansky said that his routine was dedicated to his family.

"Tonight's Dance on @dancingwiththestars is about life and how it's not always perfect and when you think it's impossible to move mountains and you're at your lowest moment and you think all doors are closed you need to rise up and rise unafraid and move mountains," Umansky wrote.

The dance earned the pair a score of 24 out of 30 from the judges.