Julianne Hough has been ''leaning on'' Ben Barnes since her marriage split.

Last month, Julianne, 31, and her husband Brooks Laich, 37, announced they had separated and, since then, the dancer and actress has reportedly turned to actor Ben, 38, for support.

A source told Us Weekly: ''She had been spending a lot of time with Ben Barnes and has been leaning on him.''

Meanwhile, Julianne and Brooks - who had been quarantining separately during the Covid-19 pandemic - confirmed their split in a statement.

They said: ''We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate. We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward.''

Brooks had been spending time in Idaho while Julianne remained in California and she admitted she was having a ''magical'' time on her own.

She said: ''I'm really enjoying this time where I can connect to what's really important in my life. Being on tour for three months and travelling and starting a business ... it's a lot. So to be able to be home, and stop and pause, and look inward, and connect back to myself has been glorious. I've been on my own. My husband is in Idaho doing lots of yard work ... and so we're kind of doing our separate things right now. But it's really been a magical time.''

Ice hockey player Brooks added: ''There's a part of me that enjoys isolation and there's a part of me that just gets drained when I'm around too many people. [His husky] Koda is awesome. I'm up in Idaho, I'm at my house in Idaho. I spend all day outside. I have 10-and-a-half acres here.

''Our property is pretty big. And I've just been a mass cleaning of it, everything. Building some rock walls, chainsawing down some trees, clearing brush, you name it.''