ABC "Dancing With the Stars" season 30 finale.
Fan-favorite “Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Cheryl Burke could be done with the franchise following the upcoming season.
Burke, 38, opened up during an interview with host Allison Kugel on the Allison Interviews YouTube channel about her time on the show and whether or not she’ll be retiring soon.
Burke has been a fan-favorite professional dancer on “Dancing With the Stars” for 25 seasons, and she may be returning for season 31, though she is not yet allowed to reveal that information.
The conversation came as part of one about having children in the future.
“If I do another season of ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I just need to do it,” Burke said. “When the time comes, whether this will be my last season or to, I don’t know. Or if I don’t, I can then consume my brain with those thoughts.”
Burke said that part of that is due that the body changes that come with pregnancy.
“I would prefer not to have to put myself in a dance costume and just let myself gain weight,” Burke said in response, adding that she would be open to adoption. “I do believe I will start to love my body more when I don’t have to shove my a** into a dance costume. So, right now it is on hold.”
Burke Opened Up About Being Cheated On
Before she joined “Dancing With the Stars,” Burke was a new dancer on the professional dance circuit and competing around the country with her much-older dance partner and boyfriend.
“I, at the time, was also dating my partner,” Burke said. “And, so I was like, ‘if you’re gonna do this, can you also interview my partner?’ And, long story short, he was cheating on me. And if it wasn’t for that, this is why I’m grateful for it, if he would’ve said… no, ‘let’s work on our relationship, no we just started our competition career,’ I would never have said yes to [‘Dancing With the Stars.’]”
She added, “Sometimes, you may not see it at this moment, but sometimes those painful moments can be the best thing for you.”
Burke Says She Has Been Fat-Shamed
During an episode of “Hypochondriactor,” a podcast hosted by Sean Hayes and Dr. Priyanka Wali, Burke talked about the issue and how her sobriety has changed her view of herself.
Burke shared that she experienced a “tipping point” during her time on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“But also, the nation decided to call me fat about season seven or eight when I got off my birth control and I retained 15 lbs of water weight, which I thought was going to obviously be the opposite – normally people lose weight when they get off birth control,” Burke shared. “So I decided to get off it right at the beginning of the season and I gained weight in less than a week, literally 15 lbs of water weight. And then it was a big deal, like ‘Cheryl’s too fat for TV.’”
Burke added, “Ever since then, it’s been really nonstop. I have to be very conscious and kind of take a step back and to see that happen. So, you know, it will ruin my mood. So, let’s say I have a fitting and it doesn’t fit the way [I want]. Or if I feel bloated, like what normal humans go through, it will affect my mood for the rest of the day.”
Burke says she thinks her struggle with body dysmorphia will end once she retires from dancing altogether.
“Dancing With the Stars” season 31 is set to premiere on Disney+ on Monday, September 19, 2022. Derek Hough, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba will all return along with Tyra Banks and new co-host Alfonso Ribeiro.
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