Cheryl Burke warns stars to stay single before joining ‘DWTS’ — turns out, she learned it the hard way
Cheryl Burke is sharing some valuable advice for the celebrities who are looking forward to competing on 'Dancing With The Stars' in the future! During a May 2024 episode of her 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' podcast, Burke stated that celebrities who are in a committed relationship shouldn't sign up for the ABC dance competition. "It's an arranged marriage. And it is black and white. Either love each other or hate each other for real," Burke shared on the episode, according to US Weekly. Along with this, Burke stated that the professional dancers and the celebrities spend a lot of time together rehearsing for their performances, and eventually, either sparks fly between them or they end up disliking each other.
When Burke was asked whether the contestants have to be 'vulnerable' while participating on the show, the two-time 'DWTS' champion replied, "It's so intimate, and you're stuck with this person. You better try and make it work at least. You get close in so many ways. … These celebrities are so vulnerable because in order to succeed, you have to strip it all down. And that alone? I bet you most of these married celebrities have never even done that with their [partners].”
However, Burke clarified that she is not telling anyone not to appear on 'Dancing With The Stars' by saying, “Be single if you do Dancing With the Stars. That’s all I’m saying.” For the unversed, let us share with you that Burke previously competed as a pro dancer on 'DWTS' for 26 seasons before retiring in 2022. Back in 2007, Burke sparked a romance with Matthew Lawrence when his older brother, Joey Lawrence, competed on the third season of the dance show. Burke and Matthew pulled the plug on their relationship after a year together.
Later on down the line, Burke and Matthew reconciled their romance in 2017. Ultimately, these two tied the knot in May 2019. Sadly, their marriage wasn't meant to last forever, as they parted ways in 2022. In an episode of the 'I Do, Part Two' podcast with Jana Kramer, Burke shed light on what went through her mind during her split with Matthew. "I think the first thing we do is, in a way, shame ourselves, blame ourselves, and definitely try to put the pieces together and get answers. But sometimes, there are just no answers, right?" Burke said, as per People magazine.
At that point, Burke further elaborated, "I think naturally, my brain went to, yeah — what did I do wrong? Did I not sleep with him enough? There are all these questions that I ask myself. Was I not there emotionally? But ultimately, intellectually, I know, of course, it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with that person." Then, Burke also stated that if she hadn't been 'in therapy for as long as she ha'd, her divorce from Matthew "would have really taken a toll on my own self-esteem, my confidence, just me as a woman in general." These days, Burke is riding solo and embracing singlehood. On the other hand, when we talk about Matthew, he has moved on in his life and is currently in a romantic relationship with TLC's Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas.
