Brooks Laich Talks About Wanting To Be A Father After Julianne Hough Split

Brooks Laich's dreams of parenthood haven't deterred because of his recently-announced split from wife Juliane Hough.

On Sunday (June 8), the former NHL player, 36, spoke about his aspirations during a recent episode of his podcast, How Men Think, alongside co-host Gavin DeGraw and guest Scott Evans. "It's important to me. I hope to be a father one day," he said while referencing racism in America. "I hope to have the world be a better place for them … one day."

Previously, Hough told Women's Health that the two never tried to make a baby, but they did come to an agreement to freeze her eggs. "I think the healthier I am from the inside out -- as far as my beliefs, my energy, what I’m putting into my body -- the better prepared I'll be when the time comes," she told the magazine. "We never actually tried to get pregnant. It was more of a precautionary measure: Let's do our due diligence for the future by freezing eggs."

Last week, Laich and Hough, who have been married for almost three years, announced their decision to go their separate ways. “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” Hough and Laich confirmed in a joint statement to PEOPLE. “We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward.”

Prior to the big announcement, the two had been publicly fighting to keep their relationship alive and the celebrity gossip outlets were fully capitalizing off their demise. Nonetheless, the two had been open about their decision to spend quarantine apart, with Laich in Idaho and Hough in Los Angeles. "They continue to spend time apart and are doing their own thing. They are still in contact and have not committed to any future decisions," a source previously told E! News. "They are happy doing it this way and will see what happens."

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