Danny Amendola’s time on Dancing with the Stars gave him a chance to step inside the world of reality television. That world tends to come with its share of intense public scrutiny and rumors. Surprisingly, the rumors didn’t revolve around him and his dance partner, Witney Carson. Instead, it centered around him and a TikTok star.
Xandra Pohl recently gained popularity on the social media platform after a series of viral clips detailing her past relationship. While Xandra has been at the center of rumors surrounding her and an athlete before, interest in her rumored romance with Danny took it to another level. Danny would even confront the rumors himself, despite previously insisting his personal life remain private.
Rumors Of A Romance Between Danny And Xandra Started After A Public Appearance Together
Danny dated model Olivia Culpo on and off for three years between 2016 and 2019. Danny and Olivia started dating in 2016, but broke up two years later in March 2018. The pair rekindled their romance in June, broke up again in October 2018 and got back together once again in January 2019. They ultimately called it quits three months later. Olivia is now married to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery.
Danny and Xandra were first spotted together at Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the New England Patriots.Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy talked about the rumored couple on an episode of the BFFs Podcast in June 2024. His belief that the two were together didn’t do anything to stop the dating rumors.
“So Xandra is dating Danny Amendola,” Dave said. “I don’t know if dating is the right word. Well, I was there. They’re together. Yeah, we saw it in action.”
Although Dave followed that by saying he would “rephrase” and that he didn’t know what was going on with them, it only added fuel to the fire. However, it was definitely confirmed that Xandra was Danny’s date. “Although that’s like in your face dating… She was sitting with [Rob] Gronkowski and [his girlfriend] Camille [Kostek],” Dave added.
It is certainly possible that Danny and Xandra are dating, but they just want to keep their relationship private. Another possibility is that Xandra is actually dating someone else but using Danny as a decoy.
One month prior to Xandra being seen with Danny at the Hall of Fame induction, she fueled speculation that she was seeing another NFL player. In May, Xandra and Kansas City Chiefs winger Louis Rees-Zamm were seen enjoying the rides at Worlds of Fun amusement park together.
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When E! News asked Xandra about her relationship status that same month, she said she was just “having fun.” “I’m in my single era,” Xandra said. “I am saying yes to dates and I’m meeting a ton of people.”
Xandra Got Famous On TikTok And Works As A Successful DJ And Model
Xandra was still in college when she became famous for making TikToks alongside Alix Earle. At the time, the TikTok star was attending the University of Miami. In September 2022, Xandra and Alix went viral on the platform when they both dressed up in UMiami gear as they got ready to go to a football game. This was when Xandra’s account began blowing up, and she gained lots of new followers.
Xandra was making TikTok clips detailing her past with an ex-boyfriend in early 2023. This helped her account grow even more and drew more eyes to her. That March, Xandra spoke to E! News about her rapid TikTok fame and why she was being so open about her private life.
“I’m constantly talking and doing whatever but I never expected people to listen,”
she said
. “It was more for myself. TikTok was my little therapy session where I could talk and no one could say anything back.”
“Honestly, for me, I like to be so unfiltered and real with everything that I’m doing,” Xandra added. “Those times where I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to post.’ I post because everyone has those days where they don’t want to post and I just sit there and I tell my feelings like, ‘I’m not having a great day, I hate everything. I hate everyone. But you know, I gotta do this, this and this and I’m gonna get through it.'”
“That’s kind of my thing and no matter how I feel, it’s going on the internet,” she said. “It happens to everyone, so might as well be open with it.”
Xandra later admitted that she was focused on doing brand trips and podcast appearances more than her classes during her senior year. This admission came during her appearance on the Chicks in the Office podcast in May of that year.
As of right now, Xandra has over 1 million followers on TikTok. When speaking to E! News, Xandra explained her philosophy behind her social media presence. According to her, she isn’t hiding anything and places every aspect of herself out there.
“I post videos and you see the number of views or likes, and it doesn’t register. I can’t register over a million people hearing me talk. I just really put it all out there,” she said. “It’s one of those decisions that I made for myself. I was like, ‘If I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna full send and people are going to see every part of me—when I’m hungover, when I’m happy, when I’m sad. They get the whole package.”
At the time, Xandra told the outlet that she was happy and optimistic about her future. “I have such a great support system…friends, family, boyfriend, where if I’m feeling overwhelmed I can go to them and everything’s better,” she said. “This is just a fun, exciting time in my life and I’m having these crazy opportunities and I just can’t pass up on them. And it has been a lot of like scheduling, there’s been a lot of life changes but I’m gonna keep doing it because people love it and I love it.”
According to Xandra, the reception she got from her TikTok content was mostly positive. “People have been so nice,” she said, “and I’m just so grateful.”
Xandra has said that her initial intention with TikTok was for the platform to help her build a DJ business. During her Chicks in the Office appearance, Xandra revealed that she’d been DJing since her junior year of high school. Xandra said that she saw TikTok as a way to build her brand.
“For DJing and stuff, it’s all about marketing,”
she said
. “The more following you have, the easier it is to get gigs.”
In a TikTok post from that August, Xandra revealed that she wanted to become a DJ after she went to Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival at the age of 16. After returning home from the festival, she told her mom of her aspirations, and Xandra bought herself a DJ set the next day.
Xandra was up against some resistance at first. Although security and others doubted her ability, Xandra played her first DJ gig at a nightclub in Miami at just 18. Xandra ended up working at Ushuaïa in Ibiza, a famous nightclub, by the summer of 2023. This secured her spot as a successful DJ.
Xandra currently has a single and is touring during the fall of 2024. In addition to her pursuits as a DJ, Xandra is also a model. In April 2024, she was named one of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit‘s 2024 Rookies.
“It’s insane,”
Xandra told
E! News. “I cannot believe that I was picked to be a rookie. I don’t even know how this happened. I still can’t believe that it’s real.”
According to Xandra, she wasn’t expecting the news and admittedly “didn’t prepare” for the photo shoot at all. She cited the reason for this as her packed schedule. “I was on DJ tour,” she said. “I literally got a call two weeks before. I had no idea that I was even up or being considered to be a rookie.”
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However, despite being somewhat blindsided by the news, Xandra said she was more than up for the challenge. “It’s so easy to have so much confidence when you have such an amazing team supporting you and surrounding you,” she said. “The vibes: 10 out of 10.”
Danny Denied Dating Xandra And Said They’re Just Friends
In September 2024, Danny made his debut on Dancing with the Stars, performing alongside his partner, Witney Carson. Rumors of a romance between Danny and Xandra only got stronger when the camera panned to Danny’s mom, Rose, and Xandra, who were sitting together and cheering him on.
Danny scored a 20 out of 30, placing fifth on the leaderboard after the season’s premiere episode. However, despite what it looked like, Danny told E! News the following week that nothing was going on. He insisted he was just friends with Xandra, but noted that his mom “loves her.”
“Xandra is a great friend of mine,”
Danny told the outlet
. “I’m a huge fan and supporter of her and it’s good to have a friend like her.”
Despite being a public figure and living life in the public eye, Danny has said he wants to keep his love life private. This is especially true for the athlete, since he feels that his relationship with Olivia was way too public. This is something he reflected on in a since-deleted Instagram post in 2019.
“I believe there should be a boundary btw private life and social media,” Danny wrote. “This fundamental difference was huge in our relationship. If you’re my real friend you know I’m private.”
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“My mother, brother, father and nephew are closest to me in this world and you don’t see one picture of them and that’s for their protection from those who criticize and judge,” he added. “I believe in nailing picture frames on the inside of my house to remind the ones I love that I care.”
Dancing with the Stars is a popular dancing competition reality TV show airing on ABC and Disney+. The series features various celebrities who pair with professional dancers to compete in front of a panel of judges. The US version of the UK TV show Strictly Come Dancing premiered in 2005 and was originally hosted by Tom Bergeron for its first 28 seasons.
