Former "Dancing with the Stars" pro Cheryl Burke has admitted it is best if celebrity contestants participating in the acclaimed show are single.
Burke, who ended her 26-season run on the ABC dance competition show in 2022, made the remarks while reflecting on her time on the series during an appearance on her DWTS podcast.
"It's an arranged marriage," she told guest Dave Quinn, a People senior editor, of the partnership between dance pro and celebrity contestant, according to Deadline. "And it is black and white. Either love each other or hate each other for real."
As she noted, the demanding rehearsal schedule forces the dance couples to spend an "insane" amount of time together.
"You're not like, Oh yeah, he's cute. Like, no, no, I either like you or I don't because you're constantly [together] eight hours a day, seven days a week. That's insane. For three months?" she said.
"And you're vulnerable," Burke added, noting that a former celebrity contestant had previously confessed to having a crush on his pro partner.
They were both married and while nothing happened, there was suspicion that they were having an affair.
"It's so intimate, and you're stuck with this person. Like, you better try and make it work at least," she continued.
"You get close in so many ways," Burke added. "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 wives."
With this in mind, Burke went on to offer her advice to contestants.
"Be single if you do 'Dancing with Stars.' That's all, I'm saying," she said.
Earlier this year, Burke opened up about some of the challenges she experienced in the lead-up to her highly publicized divorce from Matthew Lawrence. The pair exchanged vows in 2019 but three years later finalized their divorce.
During an appearance on Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' "Amy & T.J." podcast, Burke revealed that she was the breadwinner in their marriage.
"I tried to not obviously, I didn't buy my ex-husband, but, like, I definitely would say I was the breadwinner," she said while reflecting on her marriage and divorce, according to People. "Like, I supported us, and I don't think it's black and white."
Commenting on bringing home finances, Burke added, "It's like — it made me feel good, but then it didn't necessarily make the relationship good."
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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