Xochitl Gomez is still a single lady for now! In the moments leading up to the season 34 Dancing with the Stars finale on Tuesday, Nov. 25, the 19-year-old actress appeared on the show’s TikTok livestream. When pros Jan Ravnick and Brandon Armstrong asked if she was single which came amid fan speculation that she and Robert Irwin were dating she giggled before answering. “Yes, I am,” Gomez declared, still laughing. “Yes, yes, I am.” Rumors continued to swirl throughout the night when photos shared by TMZ captured the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star greeting Irwin, 21, outside his trailer with a smile and a big bouquet of flowers shortly before he took the stage. Later that night, PEOPLE observed the pair hanging out backstage, with Gomez watching Irwin practicing his dances and seemingly giving some advice ahead of his final freestyle. Irwin was ultimately named the season 34 winner, and PEOPLE captured a sweet moment between him and Gomez who also took home the Mirrorball Trophy for season 32 with partner Val Chmerkovskiy embracing on the stage. At one point, the wildlife conservationist appeared to whisper, “See you soon,” in Gomez’s ear. Earlier in the season, the two took the dance floor together for the series’ 20th birthday celebration during the Nov. 11 broadcast. For the special episode, they were paired for the Relay Dance round and performed a jive to “Dance with Me Tonight” by Olly Murs. After the performance, judge Derek Hough commented on the pair’s chemistry as Irwin’s partner Witney Carson gave a knowing look, prompting fans to further speculate about a budding romance. At the beginning of the season, Carson revealed that she had to sift through the onslaught of DMs from fans wanting to date Irwin. “Girls, I love ya, thank you for the applications through somehow my email and flooding the DMs,” the dancing pro wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time. “If I could line you all up with Robert, I would because you’re all 10/10 perfect cuties. We are currently dancing our lives away so we are unable to respond,” she continued, joking, “Robert for The Bachelor?! Idk, this is too stressful for me to handle lol!” That same month, Robert opened up to PEOPLE about being single and looking for a relationship similar to his parents’ or his sister’s. “My mom and dad met when she was this American tourist coming over to Australia, and that’s also how my sister met her husband,” he explained of late dad Steve and his mom, as well as Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell. “I’ve been saying, when is that going to happen for me?! I’m still waiting for it,” he added. “That American tourist is not quite lined up.” More recently, however, the Australian-native told The New York Times that he tries to keep his dating life more private despite being in the public eye. “Holy moly, that’s so challenging to navigate,” he admitted, particularly when “anything you do will be on TikTok the next day.” Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Dancing with the Stars season 34 is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
https://people.com/xochitl-gomez-says-she-s-single-amid-robert-irwin-romance-rumors-11857956