Julianne Hough Shares Heartbreaking Cause of Death for Two Dogs Who Died Suddenly in 2019

The Dancing with the Stars co-host first revealed that her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Lexi and Harley -- who she had for 11 and eight years respectively -- died suddenly in 2019.

Now, five years later, Hough is sharing how her beloved pups died.

"I woke up before my phone even rang and I knew, and I picked up the phone and my assistant at the time was just, like, screaming," the television personality recalled while appearing on Tuesday's episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show.

Hough said Lexi and Harley were killed by coyotes. And while her yard was fenced off, the dance pro said had "never" seen them around her home prior to the attack.

The loss came at a particularly tough time for Hough, who was not only dealing with the "unraveling" of her eight-year friendship with her longtime assistant while launching a new company, Kinrgy, but she was also going through a separation from her now-former husband Brooks Laich.

"I had asked for a separation," she told Lima before growing emotional. "And then 10 days later my dogs were killed by coyotes."

Hough continued, "I felt so out of integrity or out of like, alignment. My dogs that represented unconditional love and safety -- gone."

The only silver lining in that moment, Hough said, was that her dogs died together.

"They went together, I'm so grateful they went together," she said. "Two, I'm grateful that usually how it happens is very quick and that we got their bodies. But at that time I was like, 'Oh that was the unraveling of the absolute safety of like unconditional love.'"

At the time of their deaths, Hough paid tribute to her pups on Instagram and wrote, "Thank you for the timeless memories. Thank you for your magic. Thank you for being the most consistent and constant beings in my life. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being my guardians on this earth and even more so now."

The America's Got Talent judge revealed last month that she became a dog mom again.

"Sunny, you have brought so much love and literal sunshine in to my life ☀️I can’t remember a time without you," Hough captioned the reel showing a montage of moments with the new canine.

"Lexi & Harley would have loved and played with you everyday and I know that they sent you to me, only when I was ready to open my heart and love again - you cracked me open sweetheart," she continued.

Hough concluded the July 6 post by wishing Sunny a happy first birthday.

See more photos of celebs with their pets in the gallery below.