Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke has been navigating some major life changes. The Dance Moms alum celebrated four years of sobriety in 2022.
Cheryl filed for divorce from her husband, Matthew Lawrence, on February 18, 2022. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the couple’s breakup.
They met on DWTS when Matthew’s brother, Joey Lawrence, competed on the show. Matthew and Cheryl dated for a year before calling it quits. In 2017, they rekindled their romance. The couple got married on May 23, 2019, in San Diego.
Their divorce was finalized in September 2022. Cheryl hinted that infidelity may have played a role in the break down of her marriage. The dancer posted a TikTok set to Adele’s “When We Were Young.” In the video, Cheryl stared directly at the camera and shook her head. She wrote over the video, “When he said he would never talk to her again, yet I found text messages, Viagra, and a necklace hidden in a pair of his shoes.” Yikes!
Cheryl added in the caption, “The last time is absolutely right! Goodbye forever…#exessuck #goodbyeforever #hopeitwasworthit.” Cheryl didn’t name which ex allegedly cheated.
During Season 31 of DWTS, Cheryl was paired with weatherman Sam Champion. The couple never really hit their groove, and they were sent home during Disney+ night. Then Cheryl announced that she was exiting the show after 26 seasons. The two-time mirrorball champ, who joined the cast during Season 2, shared the news via Instagram.
“This show has been my 2nd family since I was 21 years old,” she wrote. “The cast, crew & fans have seen me through my highest highs & some of my lowest lows, & I honestly don’t know who I would be today without them.” During the DWTS finale, Cheryl danced with two of her favorite partners, Louis Van Amstel and Pasha Pashkov, to Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana.” It was fire!
Cheryl spoke to Page Six following the finale about her decision to retire from the show. “I am overwhelmed. I’ve been trying to hold back the tears, I would say, because I wanted to really perform the best I could,” she stated. “Now with all of that behind me, it’s bittersweet … but I have to just trust my intuition.”
The dance pro added, “[It’s been] so hard. This is like another type of divorce, but an amicable one.” Oh, the shade!
“I do know though that I love to evolve as a human being. I think for me, I’ve done 26 seasons as a professional dancer and I know I’m more than capable to do other things as well,” Cheryl remarked.
RELATED: Dancing With The Stars Pro Witney Carson Announces She’s Pregnant With Baby Number Two
Cheryl is interested in using her platform to increase mental health awareness. But now that judge Len Goodman has retired from DWTS, would Cheryl consider taking a seat at the judges’ table? “I never thought in a million years I would retire the same season as Len Goodman. Honestly, I would love to evolve within the [ DWTS] family, but if that doesn’t happen? All good,” Cheryl said. “I had to do this for me.”
Cheryl also weighed in on TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and pro Mark Ballas winning the glittering mirrorball trophy. The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy took second place. Comedian Wayne Brady and Witney Carson came in third, while RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela and partner Gleb Savchenko came in fourth place.
“It’s deserved! I called it from the beginning. I mean, Mark is such a creative genius,” she commented. “I am so proud of him. It’s not easy taking a break and coming back.” Kudos to Mark for winning after a five-year hiatus!
Cheryl remarked, “I just love that Mark came back with a vengeance, and with someone who’s so sweet like Charli. Very well deserved. I’m so happy for both of them,” she added.
TELL US- SHOULD CHERYL BECOME A JUDGE ON DWTS? WHICH COUPLE WERE YOU ROOTING FOR TO WIN THE MIRRORBALL?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless]
