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Julianne Hough Talks "Wonderful" New Boyfriend Brooks Laich, Admits It's a "Challenge" Maintaining Her Body

"I'm not going to lie, I've been through ups and downs," the actress and Kind Camp ambassador told Giuliana and Terrence on E! News Wednedsay

By Natalie Finn Feb 20, 2014 3:25 AMTags
Julianne HoughE! Entertainment

Julianne Hough is looking and feeling great these days.

After a little less than a year off from the dating scene, the actress is back in action with a new man and a new movie, a charitable project she's super-psyched about and—let's not overlook the obvious—an adorable pixie cut.

"I've had short hair before, I've had this for a while," Hough, patting her short blond hair, told E! News' Giuliana Rancic and Terrence Jenkins during a visit to our studio Thursday. "I got extensions for a little project I was doing and I was just ready to take ‘em out. I decided that day. I was like, you know, just cut it off."

She wore extensions for her recent cover spread in the March issue of Self, but the singing-dancing-and-acting triple threat revealed that she has a project coming up this summer that her pixie "will be perfect for."

Intriguing!

But while she wouldn't go into details about that, Hough did get serious when Giuliana and Terrence asked her how she keeps her body looking so darn good, as evidenced on that Self cover.

"It's been a challenge and I'm not going to lie. I went through through ups and downs and fluctuating," the former Dancing With the Stars pro admitted. "This last year has been about moderation and not killing my body and sleeping. Honestly, doing workouts throughout the day. I'll just be sitting there [on the set]…doing my tricep dips or something. Just anywhere."

Hough also admitted (well, she kinda had to after they were spotted smooching) to having a new beau, hockey player Brooks Laich. The Canadian-born NHL player, a center for the Washington Capitals, called her a "sweetheart" in a radio interview this morning.

Splash News

"You know I'm not going to talk about that!" Hough protested at first, before saying, "He's a wonderfrul guy...I'm very lucky that my friend I shot Curve with, the movie I just did, introduced us."

Romance isn't the only thing Hough is smiling about these days, however. The longtime Proactiv spokeswoman—"That's my biggest relationship right there!" she joked—has teamed with the skincare company on the Kind Campaign, designed to help middle- and high school-age girls build their confidence and ensure that they treat each other with kindness as they navigate the murky waters of adolescence.

Hough's first Kind Camp session kicks off Feb. 22. Watch the clip to learn more about Julianne's other passion project, and watch her tonight on E! News at 7 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. for more info.