On Jan. 30, 2021, People debunked any romance rumors that arose from Julianne Hough and Ben Barnes' casual walk and ice cream stop on Jan. 29. An unnamed source told the magazine, "They have been friends for eight years. There is nothing more to it." Still, since the information is coming from an unknown source, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Hough and Barnes' reps didn't return People's request for comment. However, People also pointed out that Hough and Barnes' friendship has been photographed over the years. In addition to being photographed on another walk in April 2020, Hough and Barnes took a photo together at the 2016 Emmy Awards — and People published the image. So it sounds like there's truth to the report that the two are longtime friends.

After Hough and Barnes were spotted together in April 2020, another unnamed source told Us Weekly in June of that year that the Dancing with the Stars alum was spending a lot of time with Barnes amid her split from Brooks Laich. The source said she "has been leaning on him. She told Brooks it was nothing [between her and Ben], but it's not."

It sounds like the only people who truly know what's going on between Hough and Barnes are the stars themselves.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7XCpKCsr5mbwW%2BvzqZmbGpja4Z3e9OhnGasoqrBqXnAm6aurF2fwq21wKelnmWYpMKotIyapZ1lkpq7bq7Aq6Weq18%3D