Disney Plus A DWTS pro responds to accusations of oversharing on social media.
“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Cheryl Burke is speaking out about fans who say she overshares on social media in regard to her personal life.
Burke Said That She Shares So Much Because It’s ‘Important Not to Suffer in Silence’
In an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Burke was asked about how open she is on her social media channels and her podcast and she said that she thinks it is important for everyone not to “suffer in silence.”
“I think it’s important not to suffer in silence. … unfortunate things happen when that happens, obviously. I think it’s important to get it out, whether it is to help somebody because I know I am [helping people]. Even if it’s just one person to relate to my story. I wish when I was younger that I had someone to look up to that was actually a little bit more vulnerable and open and once you actually call it out, you don’t live in shame anymore,” said Burke.
She credited her mom with having her in “constant therapy” as a kid after her childhood trauma of being sexually abused by an adult male in her life. But she said that she also “chose to continue on that path” of therapy and that’s why she’s so open about her struggles. Burke also said she has mostly gotten positive feedback about her openness.
“With everyone that has been responsive — ‘thank you so much for talking about your sobriety or your personal life,’ and a lot of people also say, ‘you’re oversharing!'” said Burke, adding that to the people who say she’s oversharing, she actually has a lot of compassion for them.
“I actually have compassion for that person because I think that person is also suffering in silence maybe,” said the dancer.
She also said it’s “not fun sometimes” to talk about all the difficulties in her life, but it is also about being free.
“It’s not fun, sometimes, to talk about, but selfishly, and also for people who want to be able to relate to somebody, it’s what frees me. It’s freedom.”
Is Burke Going to Jump Back Into the Dating Pool?
Burke was also asked about this new chapter in her life. She has retired from “Dancing With the Stars” and also is recently divorced from her ex-husband, actor Matthew Lawrence. Burke said the uncertainty can be scary.
“It’s amazing, it’s so uncertain, but why not face the uncertainty? Instead of it being something that scares me, which I’m not saying it doesn’t because it is scary, but it’s exciting,” said Burke.
When asked point-blank when she’s going to start dating again, Burke said she’s dating herself right now and that’s OK.
“[I’ll date] when it comes! It is what it is. I can’t control the future, all I can do is just stay right now in the present,” said Burke.
She added, “I’m dating me right now. I think this is the first time I can actually feel really comfortable in my own skin and I don’t think I have anything to prove to anybody. I think that that has taken a lot of ‘me’ work and ‘me’ time. I always used to put everybody in front of me and their happiness before mine and it’s time that I owe that to myself,” said Burke.
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 32nd season in the fall of 2023 on Disney Plus.