Heavy/Getty Cheryl Burke.
Cheryl Burke shared an emotional message with fans. The former “Dancing With the Stars” pro dancer spoke out after seeing Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie in July 2023.
In her post, Burke revealed that the fantasy film caused her to think about her childhood, and it made her realize that she owed herself an apology for how hard she was on herself while growing up.
Cheryl Burke Said She Is ‘Worthy and Capable’
In a post on her Instagram page on July 26, 2023, Burke, 39, shared a series of childhood photos, including a photo of her as a flower girl in a wedding and photos of her glammed up during her days as a child dancer. The slideshow ended with a bare-faced recent shot of the two-time mirrorball champion.
Under the photos, Burke wrote a poignant message to her younger self: “I wanted to take time to apologize to this girl for making her believe she wasn’t good enough. For telling her there was something wrong with her. For dimming her natural light. For putting so much pressure on her. For making her feel scared of life and its people.”
“I love you Cheryl. You are worthy and capable of anything,” she added.
In the caption, Burke told fans that after seeing the “Barbie” film, she was brought her back to her childhood when she “just wanted to enjoy her Barbies and feel free.”
The dancer revealed that she experienced some horrible things as a child, which “led young Cheryl down a path of fear and darkness.”
“I’m sorry Cheryl for putting you through that,” Burke added, before urging her followers to spend time reconnecting with their younger selves.
Burke’s post received many positive comments from well-wishing fans and friends.
“You are worthy of everything,” wrote pal Emma Slater alongside a row of heart emoji.
Cheryl Burke Previously Said She Had to Forgive Herself
Over the years, Burke has shared details about her difficult childhood. During a 2022 interview on the “Allison Interviews” podcast, the dancer talked about her past behaviors and bad decisions which were spawned from not having a “constant father figure” and from being molested by an older male babysitter as a child.
“My definition of love was not real,” she said on the podcast. “To me, love equaled infidelity, love equaled being treated like s***, love equaled physical violence, love equaled mental abuse.”
Nearly six years ago, Burke made the decision to become sober. In a July 2023 Instagram post, she shared that her sobriety has made her take a closer look at herself. “One thing I’ve tried to put into practice is forgiveness & less judgment when it comes to my past actions, current feelings or my addiction,” she wrote.
The professional dancer added that she tries to remind herself that she always did the best that she knew how to do at the time – and when she knew better, she began to do better.
“This seems to be a mantra that I have to consistently remind myself in order to have compassion and empathy for me and for others as well,” the “Dancing With the Stars” alum wrote. “Until I can forgive myself, I cannot forgive anybody else. Similarly, until I can love myself, I can’t love anyone else.”
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