When rumors swirled that his girlfriend Karina Smirnoff was having a fling with her DWTS partner, R&B singer Mario, Mario Lopez couldn't help but chuckle.

"People make up crazy stuff," he told Usmagazine.com at the International Vision Expo in NYC on Sunday. "I thought it was funny.

"I know the nature of the business and people talk," he added. "It’s funny because those rumors always tend come up during the season."

(In the new issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now — Mario, the R&B singer, and Smirnoff also deny romance rumors. They may not have hooked up, but click here to see other surprising couples who've dated.)

Keeping Lopez from dwelling on those affair rumors? Prepping for his Broadway debut in A Chorus Line!

The former DWTS contestant said it is harder than competing on the hit ABC show.

"It’s more like a marathon in the sense that you know it’s going to
be eight performances a week," he told Us. "It’s an intense couple of hours."

source: usmagazine.com