Lara Sophia 
Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater shut down dating rumors and insist they are “really good friends” after hand-holding pics.
Dancing With the Stars partners Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater are laughing off the rumors that they are dating almost a week after they were spotted holding hands.
In an Instagram Story posted on Thursday, Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater squashed gossip about their relationship status after they were photographed holding hands while leaving a sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills on Sunday.
The DWTS partners wanted to “address” the speculation head-on while claiming on video that they are simply “really good friends” after practicing together daily for the last six weeks.
“We are not dating. We are really good friends. We’ve been dancing together now for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day,” Mauricio Umansky said in the video.
“It’s intense like you really form a very, very special bond, and I think we have similar personalities,” Emma said in agreement, noting that they are “super supportive” of each other.
“We’re definitely there for each other, and it’s beautiful. That’s a great thing,” she added.
“You know, just to clarify, we went to a restaurant to get some sushi right after rehearsal. We were in our rehearsal clothes. Lots of the stories are wrong,” the real estate mogul continued.
“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 hands,” he said. “And she grabbed my hands, and then we walked, you know, to the cars just recapping and summarizing.”
“The paparazzi caught, you know, that moment, and it’s become a blown-out moment,” the Buying Beverly Hills star added.
This video comes a day after Kyle Richards appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and shared her feelings on Mauricio being photographed holding hands with Emma.
“I was taken aback. That was very hard to see. It hurt my feelings,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star admitted.
She continued: “I mean, hold holding hands like that. Andy, I really don’t. Why are you doing this to me? I don’t know if anything’s happened yet, but obviously, there’s something there. And I love him very much, and we are amicable, but that really did hurt me.”
As AllAboutTRH previously reported, TMZ caught Mauricio Umansky getting cozy with his Dancing With the Stars partner in Beverly Hills.
The two were photographed holding hands after exiting a restaurant on Sunday evening following a one-on-one dinner. There were no other signs of PDA between Mauricio Umansky and Emma, but they were coming off very couple-y.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
