Julianne Hough is fully cognizant of the good fortune she has enjoyed in her career. The 37-year-old host of *Dancing With the Stars* has carved out a multifaceted career as a professional dancer, musician, actress, and more, often working alongside her brother, Derek Hough. However, Julianne and Derek also have three sisters who, despite harboring an early passion for the entertainment industry, saw their ambitions never quite materialize.
“My three older sisters—they all danced, sang, and acted, and we were even in a band together,” Julianne revealed on the September 9 episode of the *Not Skinny But Not Fat* podcast. When questioned about her sisters—Katherine Hough, Sharee Hough, and Marabeth Hough—she responded, “They took different paths.”
“My eldest sister embraced the Mormon lifestyle,” Julianne elaborated. “She got married at 19 and now has six kids. My second sister moved to Nashville with dreams of becoming a country star, and my third sister aspired to be an actress.”
“We’ve had these heartfelt conversations,” Julianne continued. “There’s no jealousy per se, but there’s definitely a sense of sadness that they may not have had the same opportunities to explore those dreams. They’re incredibly happy, truly, incredibly happy. And look, they lead wonderful lives and love every moment of it. But there’s always that lingering ‘what if.’ We had opportunities that they didn’t. Yeah, it’s tough.”
The *Burlesque* star admitted that she “used to” feel guilty about sharing her successes with her family, which inadvertently led to some estrangement. “That was one of my biggest struggles—Derek and I were always so close because we shared these experiences,” she said of her choreographer brother. “Whereas, we never wanted to share our successes out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings, but that just ended up driving us further apart. Because we weren’t sharing. They didn’t feel included.”
“Now, it’s more like, alright, if it hurts, it hurts, but at least we’re staying close,” she explained. “We’re moving through it together. And it’s human nature, too. People will have feelings, you know? They can be genuinely happy for you, but still feel that twinge of, ‘Oh.’”
Julianne elaborated that jealousy can be a two-way street among siblings. “It’s all relative, you know? We were super close as sisters growing up. And so, I never got to experience that sisterly closeness and bond in the same way. Or, you know, they have marriages and kids, and I don’t have that experience,” she explained. “And so when I look at my third sister, for instance, she has three beautiful daughters and she orchestrates all these activities, plans everything so beautifully, and I’m just in awe of her.”
“And I’m like, you are such an amazing, present mom. And I’m like, I admire that so much. And it’s not like I lack anything, but I’m like, I want that, you know? And she’s like, and I want what you have. You know? And it’s not about one being better than the other, but more about us all having things that we desire,” Julianne added.
