Ukrainian-American performer Val Chmerkovskiy (and his sultry scruff) has thrilled fans of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars since 2011. And on Thursday, the 32-year-old two-time Mirrorball trophy winner nailed another thrilling performance when he proposed to girlfriend — and fellow DWTS pro — Jenna Johnson.
Chmerkovskiy popped the question in Venice, Italy.
“I knew the moment I met you, you were the man of my dreams and I wanted to be with you forever,” Johnson, 24, wrote in an Instagram. “…thank you for making my fairytale come true today! Cannot believe I get to call you my FIANCÉ!!!!”
“I can’t wait to make you my wife,” Chmerkovskiy wrote in a caption of his own.
Here’s everything to know about Val Chmerkovskiy’s fiancé.
Jenna Johnson was raised in Utah
Johnson started dancing early on while growing up in Provo, Utah. She attended the famous Center Stage Performing Arts studio in Orem. Other DWTS members to attend this studio include powerhouse siblings Julianne and Derek Hough.
“Jenna’s always had a real passion for the stage,” her mom, Tammy, told Herald Extra. “She’s always been a little performer; a little drama queen. That was something we saw in her at a very early age.”
According to her DWTS page, Johnson is a five-time U.S. National Latin Champion and a three-time National Contemporary Winner (not to mention, she also represented the U.S. at the 2012 World Latin Championships).
She’s reportedly known DWTS pros Lindsay Arnold and Witney Carson since grade school (she and Carson were in Arnold’s wedding in 2015).
“Jenna and I danced at the same studio when we were both in kindergarten and immediately became friends,” Arnold said in a 2017 interview. “We didn’t go to the same school but had play dates almost every day after dance.”
Jenna Johnson was on So You Think You Can Dance
In 2013, Johnson was a contestant on SYTYCD season 10 at the age of 18 and placed in the top eight.
Watch her audition below:
Johnson returned in 2016 to mentor kids in the Next Generation season, then as an All-Star for season 14.
Jenna Johnson has been a pro on DWTS for two seasons
Johnson started out as a troupe member on the show, meaning she performed but wasn’t paired with any celebs as a pro dancer.
Johnson has been a DWTS pro twice so far — first during season 23, when she was paired with Jake T. Austin, then for season 26. It was this season, DWTS: Athletes, where she took home the winning prize with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy were linked back in 2015
Johnson and Chmerkovskiy have dated on and off since 2015, according to PEOPLE.
They were also “photographed getting close off the dance floor” in early 2016 — but Chmerkovskiy dated former dancing partner Amber Rose until early 2017.
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy made their romance official with an on-screen kiss
The two shared an on-screen kiss during the finale of DWTS season 25 in November 2017.
Johnson and her now-fiancé danced to a performance by Kelsea Ballerini. Watch below:
Naturally, she’s very into health and fitness
Johnson has a strict diet and gym regimen, but she also told New Beauty that she used to resort to unhealthy habits like binge eating.
“For a long time, I would avoiding eating all day and then end up binge eating treats and sugar at night, which is basically the worst thing you can do to your body,” Johnson said. “This is a period where I ended up gaining a lot of weight. This also affected my mental health and made me super depressed and upset with myself. When I hit my most unhealthy point, I reached out to some nutritionists and they helped me balance out a more realistic and healthy diet.”
Now, Johnson is all about hard work and positive thinking.
“If you’ve been working really hard to stay strict with your nutrition and been hitting the gym often, reward yourself with positivity,” she urged. “It’s hard not to judge yourself if you don’t see results immediately. It’s a process, but a process that is worth the wait.”
