Julianne Hough covers the April issue of Allure because, yes, people are still trying to make Julianne Hough happen. I thought that attempt was over more than a year ago, but here we are, with Julianne covering yet another magazine cover for very little reason (I think she’s promoting her judge role on Dancing With the Stars?!). I’m covering this because Julianne actually gave a couple of half-decent quotes about some somewhat interesting subjects, namely her breakup with Ryan Seacrest (I would love it if she really dished about Seacrest, but she does not), Mormonism (she was raised Church of LDS), and most importantly, she admits that she was really, really stupid to wear blackface as part of her Halloween costume in 2013. You can see the Allure slideshow here. Some highlights:

Her short hair is because of Ryan Seacrest: “A little while after, when I cut ties with my relationship. I chopped more. It was about changing it up and beginning fresh—in the movie but in real life, also.”

She’s dating hockey player Brooks Laich, but she still runs into Seacrest: “It’s hard not to—he’s everywhere.”

She begins each day by reciting her “power virtues”: “A power virtue is who you want to be. I say the words, ‘I am’ beforehand… ‘I am determined,’ ‘I am passionate,’ ‘I am grateful,’ and ‘I am love.’”

Mormonism: “I am so grateful that I was raised LDS. I believe in their morals and their standards—and what they give out to the world, the service. I would do a mission, but not for the Mormon church.”

On her blackface Halloween costume: “Ignorance is sometimes not bliss; I really had no idea what I was doing, and it was all out of fun and respect for the character. I don’t even know how to talk about it because it’s such a sensitive topic. It makes me so sad to think that I was that dumb. I learned a big lesson.”

Returning to DWTS: “The fact that I can go back and judge and still pursue other avenues—it’s a win-win for me.”

[From Allure]

I have to give her some credit, because she handled the PR crisis of the blackface controversy pretty well. She gave a complete apology immediately and then she actually “went away” and let people forget about it for several months. And even now, a year and a half later, she’s still eating sh-t for it (justifiably) and taking it on the chin. But that’s what we want people to say when they’ve made a mistake, right? “It makes me so sad to think that I was that dumb. I learned a big lesson.” Thank you, Julianne Hough. Thank you for showing the dumb starlets how to manage a crisis with some kind of grace.

Photos courtesy of Carter Smith/Allure and Pacific Coast News.