Helio wins.....and loses

[skippy]

Helio Castroneves, fiancee call it quits

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer

2 hours, 31 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Helio Castroneves won the mirrorball trophy on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," but lost his fiancee, Aliette Vazquez. Less than a day after Castroneves was declared the winner, Vazquez, a Miami-based business executive, announced she had called off her engagement to the Brazilian race-car driver.

Castroneves out-danced finalists Melanie Brown and Marie Osmond on Tuesday night's show.

"There's been a lot of rumors and a lot of stuff said, and she just wanted confirmed that they are no longer engaged. There's no animosity, there's nothing mean. Just a simple confirmation," Vazquez's publicist, Howard Bragman, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Sparks flew this season between "Cheetah Girl" Sabrina Bryan and her dance partner, Mark Ballas. Two seasons ago, Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff reportedly generated heat off the dance floor.

Was Bragman hinting at viewer speculation that something seemed to be brewing between Castroneves and dance partner Julianne Hough?

"I'm not gonna talk about the rumors. I mean, they're clearly out there," said Bragman.

"I will tell you (that) we wanted to be respectful and wait until the show was over," he said. "We did not want to affect the outcome of the show."

Bragman said Castroneves and Vazquez had been together for more than six years and became engaged last year.

Castroneves confirmed his split with Vazquez to People.com.

In an interview that was to air Wednesday night on "Access Hollywood," Castroneves described Vazquez as "a fantastic person."

"We had the engagement off for one or two weeks," he told the syndicated entertainment TV show. "It's a shame. ... I'm sure we're going to be friends."

Hough called off her engagement to dancer Zach Wilson earlier this year.

"I'm 19. I'm really focused on my career. We're really good friends," she told "Inside Edition" of her split with Wilson.

Hough was also the partner of "Dancing" champion Apolo Anton Ohno.

She told "Access Hollywood": "There was nothing with Apolo last season and there's nothing with Helio now."