Professional dancer Cheryl Burke is exiting "Dancing With the Stars" after 17 years and 26 seasons.
Speaking with People, the 38-year-old admitted it was a difficult decision to make, but one that will serve her in the long run.
"I have been crying nonstop," she said. "It has been very emotional. There [are] a lot of emotions and there's lots of excitement, but there's also lots of fear. At the end of the day, this is actually maybe another divorce in a way that I'm going through in one year."
Burke solidified her career in season 2 of the competitive dance show, when she won her first Mirrorball trophy alongside singer Drew Lachey. She took home her second trophy in season 3 with former NFL player Emmitt Smith and has since danced with over 25 celebrities. It was on the set of the show that she also met her ex-husband Matthew Lawrence.
The actor's brother, Joey Lawrence, appeared on "DWTS" in 2006. It was through him that Burke and Lawrence connected. They began dating in 2007 but things ended the following year. Several years later, in 2017, they reunited, and in 2018 they were engaged. The couple exchanged vows in May 2019. Burke filed for divorce in February.
"As far as me and how this is going, I'm not proud of it. It's a s**t show," she said this year during an interview with Extra.
Burke did not elaborate on her divorce while speaking with People, but said her decision to hang up her dancing shoes was linked to her physical and mental well-being.
"Lately I've talked a lot about how my body — it just hurts," Burke shared. "For me as a dancer, as a woman, unfortunately, this is what happens as an athlete as well. There comes a time where — I'm almost 40 years old. I'm 38, and I have certain expectations I set for myself. Sometimes, if I don't see what I want to see or think that I am producing, that has a lot to do with it. But then also, it has a lot to do with growth in general."
Burke did not dismiss returning to "DWTS" but said it would have to be in a different capacity.
"I definitely know as a dancer, I have done what I can do, and that was 26 seasons of 'Dancing with the Stars.' That's a great run," she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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