Mauricio Umansky & Emma Slater Address Hand-Holding Photos

“Dancing with the Stars” partners Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater are setting the record straight on those hand-holding photos.

The pics, posted by TMZ on Sunday, showed the pair walking hand in hand in Beverly Hills, sparking romance rumors.

Now, Umansky and Slater took to Instagram Stories today to address reports they might be dating.

Mauricio said, “For full clarity, we are not dating. We are really good friends. We’ve been dancing together now for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day.”

Emma, 34, added, “It is intense, like, you really form a very special bond.” She described their relationship as “super supportive.”

“We’re definitely there for each other and it’s beautiful. That’s a great thing,” she said.

Mauricio explained that they had stepped out to grab sushi in their rehearsal clothes and were discussing their upcoming performance.

He explained on Instagram Stories, “It was a very intense week, an emotional week. We were talking about the week during dinner and we came out of dinner and we were recapping and I reached out to grab Emma’s hand and she grabbed my hand and we walked to the car just recapping… and then the paparazzi caught that moment.”

This week’s “DWTS” theme was Most Memorable Year, and Umansky dedicated his performance to estranged wife Kyle Richards and their family.

Kyle spoke out about the photos on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”

She shared, “I was taken aback.”

When Andy asked, “Was that hard to see?” she replied, “Yes, that was very hard to see. Yeah, I mean, yes, that hurt my feelings.”

Kyle went on, "I mean, holding hands like that? I mean, Andy… I really don’t — why are you doing this to me? I just don’t think you hold hands like that."

She added, “I don’t know if anything’s happened yet, but obviously there’s something there. Listen, I love him very much and we are amicable, but that really did hurt me.”

Andy also asked Kyle if the photos were the reason she deleted an Instagram post in support of Mauricio and Emma on “DWTS.”

“Yes, but I also voted for them… I sent the screenshot to the fam chat,” Richards said.