‘DWTS’ pro Cheryl Burke’s raw take on mental health struggles will change the way you think about healing
'Dancing With The Stars' pro Cheryl Burke is opening up on her mental health journey! On May 14, 2025, Burke, who is a mental health advocate, took to her Instagram page and talked about her mental well-being in detail. "Not your usual get ready with me… Because mental health isn’t pretty all the time—but these conversations matter. So while I get ready, let’s talk about the healing that happens behind closed doors…🙏🏼 What’s helped you get through your hardest season?⬇️#mentalhealthawarenessmonth #mentalhealth #uncomfortableconversations," Burke wrote in the caption of the post.
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In the video uploaded, Burke can be seen doing her makeup and sharing her thoughts on the importance of mental health. "You know what I've learned. Silence protects shame. I used to believe that it meant that I was strong. But in all transparency, bottling it up made me feel even more isolated. The mask we wear, you know the strong one, it's exhausting." Burke said in the video, according to Entertainment Now.
While shedding light on mental health, Burke further elaborated, “There is so much strength in saying, ‘You know what? I’m not okay and that’s okay.' I used to think that healing meant becoming a perfect version of myself … always keeping it together. But what I realized is that’s not healing, that’s performance. Healing isn’t linear. It’s honestly more like a rollercoaster. Like a spiral. Some days, I feel grounded, some days I almost question everything. But you know what? That's okay. That is growth. There's no such thing as failing at healing. I'm trying to unlearn the idea that productivity equals worth and I need to earn rest. That basically being vulnerable and emotional is a liability."
Later in the video, Burke highlighted her new definition of strength by saying, "I have spent my whole life basically tying my value to how much I can do. My new definition of strength which I'm not there yet. It's softness, it's honesty, it's setting boundaries and it's saying no. And sometimes it's just waking up, brushing my teeth, and that just being enough. Healing is messy. It's definitely not candles and bubble baths. It's doing the hard thing even when it's terrifying." While wrapping up the video, Burke said, "I think it's our duty as human beings to keep normalizing these uncomfortable conversations. Not just this month but always."
Many fans praised Burke in the comments for showing vulnerability. One social media user wrote, "Every word of this resonates with me! Thank you for this! My faith in God is the only thing that ultimately gets me through the hard times." Followed by a second user who penned, "Every word has a light..a knowing..beautiful thoughts of real reality. Thank you." Another netizen chimed in, "You have no idea how much I appreciate you for this message 🙌🏾, I needed this Cheryl, you have no idea! Thank you ❤️." A user went on to say, "Truth beautifully spoken illuminates the soul! I’m a recovering performance addict and this totally spoke to me! Thank you!"
In an interview with People magazine, Burke shared real insights about her ongoing battle with mental health. "I think what is overwhelming — and I can just say this from experience — there's always light at the end of the tunnel, but there's no end date. We're always, I believe I am at least, a work in progress ‘til the day I die because there's always events happening in our lives, whether that's death or meeting new people or a change, a transformation, a transition. It's one little step at a time," Burke said.
