‘DWTS’ Pro Alan Bersten Reveals Why It Took Him So Long To Admit Feelings For Alexis Ren Before TV Kiss

Dancing with the Stars has a bona fide showmance this season, but it took a while for it to be a mutual one. On this week’s country-themed episode of the ABC celebrity ballroom competition, pro dancer Alan Bersten finally admitted that he has romantic feelings for his celebrity partner, Alexis Ren. Bersten’s confession came a few days after Ren addressed the “elephant in the room” by admitting she has fallen for the handsome pro dancer.

In a pre-taped segment that aired ahead of Alan and Alexis’ steamy samba, the DWTS duo went on a horseback riding date where the pro dancer opened up about his feelings for the 21-year-old Instagram model. The couple then leaned in for their first televised kiss.

In a post-show interview with Entertainment Tonight, Alan Bersten admitted he’s “not good at opening up,” especially with TV cameras following him around. Bersten then joked about why he opted to reciprocate Alexis Ren’s feelings as ABC’s cameras recorded the private moment.

“I mean, I didn’t want to leave her hanging. I’m kidding, I’m kidding! No, I mean, it was horseback [riding], it was beautiful. It felt right… First of all, I was scared of horses and I was scared of that moment.”

Alan Bersten admitted that watching the couple’s pre-taped package on TV was uncomfortable and he revealed why they both often look away before it’s time to take the stage on the ABC dancing show.

“It’s hard to do stuff on TV,” Bersten admitted, while Ren added, “It’s really hard, when there’s six cameras staring at you, and you’re like, ‘I’m just going to spill my heart right now.’ It’s really weird.”

Last week, Alexis Ren opened up about her feelings for her Dancing with the Stars pro partner in a pre-taped piece ahead of the couple’s Halloween Night jazz dance. But while Ren admitted she had fallen for Bersten, the 24-year-old pro dancer simply said he needed to be “100 percent certain” of his feelings for his DWTS co-star.

After the live show, Bersten told Entertainment Tonight he had a strong emotional connection with Alexis Ren but stopped short of admitting to a romantic one, instead describing her as a “best friend.”

The pro dancer seemed to want to stay focused on the competition and simply said he and his partner were “taking it one day at a time here.”

You can see Alan Bersten admitting his feelings for Alexis Ren in the Dancing with the Stars video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6P6-H3alpM

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.