Carrie Ann Inaba from 'Dancing with the Stars' Has Been Engaged Twice but Never Married
The "Dancing with the Stars" judge's professional life is quite successful, but the same cannot be said about her romantic life which has been full of ups and downs.
Years and years of judging participants' dance moves on "Dancing with the Stars" has made Carrie Ann Inaba a household name.
Inaba has been a part of the dance show for the past 25 seasons, all thanks to her expert skills. Her career is quite impressive, but when it comes to relationships, Inaba has not been as lucky.
Throughout her life, Inaba has been engaged twice to two different men. Sadly, her relationships fell apart before she could seal the deal with vows at the altar.
Carrie Ann Inaba during an episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan." | Source: YouTube/LIVEKellyandRyan
HER FIRST ENGAGEMENT
In April 2011, for the very first time, Inaba thought she was ready to walk down the aisle with the man she loved. She was dating her now ex-partner Jesse Sloan back then.
Sloan caught Inaba off-guard with his surprise proposal on live TV. Although Inaba did have a feeling that her man was planning to pop the question, she did not expect it go that way.
Carrie Ann Inaba and Jesse Sloan arrive at the KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2011. | Source: Getty Images
One day, Sloan decided to travel to New York along with Inaba for work. It came as a surprise for the DWTS judge because Sloan did not usually travel with her.
She thought Sloan would propose her over dinner, but Sloan had some other plans. During Inaba's live appearance on "Live! with Regis and Kelly," the lights went down all of a sudden.
THE ROMANTIC PROPOSAL
Sloan proposed to Inaba right there during the show. “Our family is spread out all across the country. I wanted to be able to share it with our family and friends," he shared with PEOPLE.
Inaba was smitten by Sloan at that point. "Our family got to witness the whole thing – along with a lot of other people...There is no way I would say no to him," she gushed.
Jesse Sloan and Carrie Ann Inaba attend the 26th Genesis Awards. | Source: Getty Images
They were clearly head over heels for each other. Inaba even mentioned that she was excited over the thought that they would get married and have babies someday.
Their engagement could not turn into a marriage, but in 2012, Inaba confessed that she and Sloan were still friends.
THE SECOND ENGAGEMENT
In 2016, Inaba got engaged for the second time with Robb Derringer. The couple got engaged on the same beach cove along the California coast where they had a dreamy first date.
At the time, Derringer told PEOPLE that their first date made them feel like they were always meant to be.
“I knew after our first romantic date, that if she felt for me what I felt for her, then it was something that was going to be significant and life changing and lasting."
Inaba admitted that it was a dream date for her. Although everything seemed perfect at the moment, their love wasn't meant to last and they ended up parting ways in 2017.