DWTS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: LOVE SECRETS

NationalEnquirer.com

WHO cares about the fancy foot­work? Behind the scenes, “Dancing with the Stars” is a hotbed of steamy secret liaisons!

While pro Derek Hough has locked lips with partner Maria Menounos on camera, she’s still dating her longtime boy­friend, insiders say.

And Derek is carrying on a covert fling with Katherine Jenkins, who most “Dancing” fans think is romancing her pro partner Mark Ballas!

“The show is turning into a regular soap opera,” an insider told The ENQUIRER. “There are so many hookups that it’s hard to keep track of them all.

“‘Dancing with the Stars” has become the  new ‘Peyton Place’!”

Derek, 26, and “Extra” co-host Maria, 33, got tongues wagging after being spotted sharing private lunches, and he’s even carried Maria around piggyback due to her foot problems, said the source.

The partners have also shared two on-air kisses, one so spirited that Derek claimed to have chipped a tooth. But it’s all an act, said the source, because Maria has been dating producer Keven Undergaro for more than 10 years.

“No one ever sees Keven because he never sits in the ‘Dancing’ audience, and he doesn’t accompany Maria on the red carpet,” the source noted.

Keven met Maria when he was head writer on the MTV series “Singled Out,” and they founded the website AfterBuzzTV together. But while he admits he’s just fine with things the way they are, Maria’s family has been pushing them to tie the knot.

“Her parents are Greek,” he told a re­porter. “They want the marriage and the grandchildren.”

A friend of Maria’s added: “Despite what Keven may say, Maria has wanted him to put a ring on it for a while. She’s been getting hot and heavy with Derek in the hope that Keven will get jealous enough to propose.”

Meanwhile, Derek has been carrying on a secret affair with 31-year-old Welsh opera singer Kath­erine. They hit it off after the blonde bombshell ended her en­gagement to British TV host Gethin Jones late last December, said the source.

“Katherine’s heart was broken, but Derek helped her pick up the pieces, and now they’re having a torrid fling,” revealed the source.

“Nothing is what it seems on ‘Dancing,’ but there’s love everywhere!”