“Dancing With the Stars” pairs together a professional dancer and a celebrity — but sometimes it unknowingly pairs together soulmates.
Ezra Sosa and his season 35 partner Julia Stiles are one such example of that.
Just two days after being eliminated from the competition, Sosa shared a heartfelt tribute to the “10 Things I Hate About You” star, saying the two were “meant to find each other.”
Ezra and Julia
Ezra took to social media on Wednesday, November 4, to share a slideshow of memories with his beloved partner.
“Think some people are just meant to find each other. ❤️,” he wrote. “In this first slide, before we ever met, Julia was watching ‘Dancing With the Stars’. She showed me this video to prove she’d been a fan for years, but what made it so special was that she unknowingly captured my very first appearance on the show.”
He added, “Just two counts of eight, and somehow she caught the very beginning of my journey. Little did we know that years later, she’d become my partner, my best friend, and one of the most important people in my life. Sometimes people are part of our story long before we even know it.”
The pair were eliminated on “Disney Night,” after performing a paso doble to “Satisfied” from “Hamilton.” They earned a score of 33 out of 40 from the judges shortly before their shocking elimination.
“Julia, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. I wish you could see how much you’ve grown, how brave you’ve been, and how much you’ve accomplished. even on the hardest days, you kept showing up, kept fighting, and kept giving your whole heart,” Ezra continued. “Somewhere between the rehearsals, the laughter, and the tears, you became so much more than my dance partner.”
A Hard Goodbye
Following their elimination, the “Save the Last Dance” star told ABC’s “On the Red Carpet,” “I’m really sad because I’m gonna miss seeing this guy every day.”
Ezra added, “She made me a better person. Oh, I’m gonna cry!”
In his Wednesday Instagram post, Ezra addressed Julia, explaining that he began the season wanting to teach her how to dance.
“But you ended up teaching me so much more about life, love, and friendship,” he added. “My favorite part of this entire experience wasn’t a dance or a score. It was getting to know you and getting to call you my friend. The hardest part about saying goodbye is knowing we’ll never get to experience these moments for the first time again. but if I could go back, knowing every high, every low, and every tear we’d shed, I’d do it a thousand times over.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve a friendship like yours, but I’ll spend the rest of my life being grateful for it,” Ezra cried. “I love you, Julia. Always. And if fate ever lets me find you in another lifetime, I hope I get to be your dance partner there too. ❤️”
DWTS’ Pro Gushes That He Was ‘Meant to Find’ His Beloved Season 35 Partner: ‘I Love You’