Disney Plus
“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Cheryl Burke became quite emotional in a new interview when asked about the custody battle between her and her ex-husband Matthew Lawrence.
Burke filed for divorce in February 2022, citing a split date of January 7. They married in May 2019. The divorce was finalized on September 19, 2022, except for one thing — custody of their dog, Ysabella, which looks like it is headed to trial.
Cheryl Burke Said ‘It’s Cruel’ That Matthew Lawrence is Trying to Take Her Dog Away, Comparing it to Losing a Child Because She’s a Dog Mom
After Burke and her season 31 partner Sam Champion were eliminated from “Dancing With the Stars,” “Entertainment Tonight” asked her about the on-going custody battle and she became quite emotional, calling it “cruel” that Lawrence is trying to take custody of their French bulldog Ysabella.
“I’m gonna cry. It’s just really sad that… I can’t [getting choked up]” said Burke, who continued after pulling herself together for a moment. “It sucks because it’s like for me, it’s cruel. She’s my dog and it was a gift from my ex and I hope this soon dies down and he calls it off because you’re taking my daughter away from me.”
Burke added that she is so proud of Champion for stepping outside of his comfort zone to do the show. THe two have been friends for over a decade after they met when they both judged the Miss America Pageant.
“I’ve always asked [Champion] would he ever do the show, and 10 years ago it was a non-negotiable, ‘Absolutely not, this is not happening.’ And I’m just proud that he has stepped out of his comfort zone. I just think that, in general, with every single human being, it’s very important to challenge yourself,” said the pro dancer.
Cheryl Burke Previously Said It’s ‘Just Devastating’ That Matthew Lawrence Wants Custody of Ysabella
On the September 19 episode of her podcast “Burke in the Game,” the dancer shared an update with her followers about how her divorced was now finalized but she’s still devastated by the battle over Ysabella.
“For those of you that follow me, you know that I’m a dog mom. I love my Frenchie, Ysabella,” said Burke, going on to say that it is “just devastating” that Lawrence “is basically trying to take [her] dog Ysabella away.”
“I love her so much it hurts. I know that is so cliche, but it is a fact,” Burke admitted.
She also said that ever since Lawrence gave her Ysabella as a first anniversary present, she (Burke) has been the one who primarily takes care of the dog and Ysabella is her emotional support animal, so Lawrence’s custody battle feels “vindictive” at this point.
“Since day one, I have honestly been the person responsible for [Ysabella] both financially and emotionally. She is technically my emotional support animal, or my service dog. I just took her with me to New York, she flew with me, she was sitting on my lap, so she is a service dog. … I paid the majority of the cost as far as Ysabella goes and now I guess to have this happen just really feels like it’s vindictive and I’m really sad about it. I couldn’t imagine my life without her,” said Burke.
On the September 26 episode of her podcast Burke assured her fans that she’s focusing on her sobriety and on October 9, she added that recording her podcast has been a bright spot for her.
“I’m just trying to keep my head up, you know, one day at a time,” said Burke, adding, “My sobriety comes first and this is what I need to think about and I need to get my head straight when I don’t feel like my sobriety comes first.”
“It’s been so fun doing this [podcast], it’s been so therapeutic. It’s been a release of all of this built-up stress, anger, disappointment, happiness, excitement, roller coaster ride of emotions. So thank you guys for listening and let me know what you guys want to hear for the new year coming up,” said Burke on October 9.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific time on Disney Plus.