Helio Castroneves, yesterday’s spangly winner on TV’s Dancing With The Stars, is today’s unlucky loser in love, following the news that he has been poleaxed by erstwhile fiancée Aliette Vazquez.

The engagement was called off within a day of Castroneves’ dancefest glory. He was dumped after six years by Vazquez, who kept schtum so as not to affect the outcome of the reality show. They were engaged for about a year.

She poured out the pain on E!’s satellite show, explaining how they haven’t talked “in two months” and using words like "devasted", the language for a relationship beyond its death throes. Alas.

None of this comes as too much surprise, if you’ve been reading between the lines. It comes hot on the heels of rumours about a possible something between Castroneves and dance partner, Julianne Hough.

Clearly some kind of twisted cosmic accident has occurred. Earlier this year Hough also backed out of a similar conjugal plan with dancer Zach Wilson.

TMZ quotes Vazquez’s publicist, Howard Bragman: "I'm not gonna talk about the rumors. I mean, they're clearly out there," before talking a little more about guess what? “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.”

So, Hough doesn't know whether she likes or dislikes dancers, while Vazquez seems to prefer racing drivers. Castroneves, a Brazilian, is a two-time Indianopolis 500 winner turned glitterball dancer. 

Castroneves also confirmed the split. He is quoted as saying: "I'm sure we're going to be friends and now is a moment I'm going to enjoy," he said, adding: “It's a shame. It is what it is.”

Well, he won the dancing competition, but did he also win the dancer? Time will tell.

Milo Zevon is Hecklerspray’s newfangled US Entertainment Correspondent. He’s currently in NYC, and claims to be listening to Can.