Before retiring from “Dancing With the Stars” after season 31, Cheryl Burke had been one of the longest-running pro dancers. She won seasons 2 and 3 consecutively and felt unstoppable. However, her time in the limelight caught up with her, and she developed a “party girl” reputation.
Now, Cheryl Burke is reflecting on her sobriety journey and how hard she’s worked to establish her own sense of identity.
Pro Dancer Cheryl Burke Dealt With Heavy Public Scrutiny About Her Body
Cheryl Burke has always been transparent about her body dysmorphia issues. In a new essay, she’s opening up about the pressures of staying thin while growing into an adult body.
“Dance saved my life in many ways,” the former DWTS pro shared in a vulnerable piece published in Glamour. “I’d had a difficult childhood, and moving my body was the one place I didn’t have to explain myself. But weight was still always an issue.”
“I was always curvy in a world that wasn’t built for curves. I competed internationally and those women were built differently than me,” the 42-year-old remembered, noting that her mother was always trying the latest diet trends. “Nobody was talking about living a healthy lifestyle. The whole goal was to make the number on the scale go down. I learned early that my body was something to be managed.”
Cheryl Burke recalls joining “Dancing With the Stars” back in 2006. She partnered with 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey and they took home the Mirrorball trophy. But even being a ballroom champion wasn’t enough to stop the online hate and criticism.
“In 2008 I was dancing with former track and field Olympian Maurice Greene for season seven, and I remember turning on my TV one morning and seeing my name on the chyron: Is Cheryl too fat for TV? I will never forget that,” she bravely shared.
The dancer was 20 years old at the time and dealing with many changes as she grew into her adult body. To make matters worse, Cheryl recalled two of her male DWTS co-stars making fun of her body in the press.
“It got picked up everywhere. Have I had my own personal conversations with these specific people? Absolutely. Do I forgive them? Absolutely. But it’s still shocking,” she wrote.
Cheryl Burke Struggled With Alcoholism Amid Her Rising Fame
To deal with the pressures of newfound fame, Cheryl Burke turned to alcohol. Sadly, she admitted developing an addiction over time.
Thankfully, the dancer pursued sobriety and hasn’t turned to alcohol in many years. But Cheryl still feels angry and hurt when people compare her current appearance to her old one.
“What kills me now? Genuinely makes me furious? That people look back at photos of me from that era and say I looked so much healthier,” the dancer continued in her essay.
“I was drinking every single night. I was eating Del Taco at midnight to soak up the alcohol. Are you kidding me? That’s the body fans are nostalgic for?” she wrote. “I was the alcoholic Cheryl back then, the party girl barely surviving some of those live shows. Every photo from that era—the ones where people now say I looked so good—I was basically hungover in. That is the version they are telling me I should return to.”
The Former DWTS Pro Keeps Her Eyes on the Road Ahead
Today, Cheryl Burke has left the world of competitive ballroom dance behind. She’s shifted her focus to the beauty industry instead.
“The work I’ve done to stop giving my power away is real. It’s daily. It’s not something I will undo because strangers online have decided something is wrong with me,” the 42-year-old wrote.
“If you miss the old Cheryl Burke, please unfollow,” she concluded the post. “I’m not her anymore. I pay her every respect. But I’m not going back to her. Today, when I look in the mirror, I love what I see. Tomorrow, we’ll see. But today I do.”
