Inside Carrie Ann Inaba's Relationship With Fabien Viteri
Carrie Ann Inaba has navigated plenty of ups and downs in her romantic life over the years. Parade detailed that she has been engaged twice previously, but she has never been married. She has dated some men who are also in the entertainment industry, as well as some who are non-celebrities. The "Dancing with the Stars" judge seems to be happily involved with a man named Fabien Viteri now, and her fans are eager to know more about their relationship.
Inaba's first somewhat public romance was with fellow dancer Artem Chigvintsev, shared People. While he became a regular dance professional on "Dancing with the Stars," they actually met when he competed on "So You Think You Can Dance." They started dating in 2006, and although she was about 15 years his senior, the two maintained their relationship for more than two years. Soon after their split, she started dating an accountant named Jesse Sloan, whom she'd met on the dating site eHarmony. They got engaged after he proposed while she was on "Live with Regis and Kelly," but they split in 2012. She dated pianist and composer Tony Neiman for a bit and then fell in love with former "General Hospital" star Robb Derringer. They got engaged as well, and even set a wedding date for July 2017. Ultimately, however, the pair split before walking down the aisle.
When Inaba started dating her current beau, she kept it a bit mysterious for a while.
Carrie Ann Inaba finds love with a neighbor
The first hint "Dancing with the Stars" fans received of Carrie Ann Inaba's relationship with Fabien Viteri came via her Instagram page in September 2020. "Happy birthday mi amor. Life is so much better with you in it," she wrote. The photo she posted showed her sharing a kiss with Viteri, and she tagged his Instagram page. However, his profile doesn't include his name and primarily features his husky dog, so his identity was a mystery.
During "The Talk" premiere a couple of weeks later, Inaba seemed ready to shout her news from the rooftops. "I have fallen in love, and I am now in a committed relationship," and she credited fellow co-host Sharon Osbourne for being the catalyst for it happening. Inaba didn't detail exactly when she and Viteri started dating, but she did tell fans that they met in her neighborhood as they both walked their dogs. Inaba explained, "Now I understand how a relationship can work. He's been so supportive and such a mature adult, because maybe sometimes I'm not."
Shortly after going public with her romance, Inaba shared fun Instagram updates about a camping trip she took with Viteri, where he encouraged her to push outside her comfort zone. The two also spent Thanksgiving together, documented via Instagram, and in a January post, Inaba wrote they were "just two plants growing our love in this fertile thing called life."
Some ups and downs for the couple
In May, Carrie Ann Inaba revealed in her Instagram Stories that she and Fabien Viteri had split (via Good Housekeeping). She shared she was "single again" and was "Confused. Uncertain of the future. Sad. Hopeful. Trying to allow the emotions. Trying to be strong. Allowing myself space to cry." Inaba declared she would evolve and survive it, as well as "honor the gift that it was." She also admitted, "Sometimes the things you thought were forever end up only being temporary."
The "Dancing with the Stars" judge may have felt heartbroken over the end of her romance, but the breakup seemingly didn't last long. About a week after Inaba announced the couple's split, Daily Mail shared photos of the two in Los Angeles together. A couple of weeks later, Inaba took to Instagram to share two selfies confirming they'd reunited. She has shared several additional Instagram posts since then showing her enjoying her time with Viteri, including some "summer joy" with his daughter.
In an August Instagram post, Inaba showed Viteri by her side as she celebrated her nephew's graduation. That early August post appears to be the last time Inaba or Viteri posted anything on social media including the other. However, as of this writing, they still follow one another on Instagram and she liked his recent posts. "Dancing with the Stars" fans are rooting for Viteri to be "the one" for Inaba, and they'll likely be watching closely for additional updates.