{"id":214319,"date":"2026-01-02T07:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T07:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/02\/matthew-lawrence-grew-thick-skin-after-cheryl-burke-divorce\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T07:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T07:06:22","slug":"matthew-lawrence-grew-thick-skin-after-cheryl-burke-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/02\/matthew-lawrence-grew-thick-skin-after-cheryl-burke-divorce\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew Lawrence Grew Thick Skin After Cheryl Burke Divorce"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Matthew Lawrence<\/strong><\/a> is sharing what it was like to deal with a marriage breakdown in the public eye following his well-publicized split from ex-wife Cheryl Burke.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The actor, 45, addressed the breakup in an interview with Daily Mail<\/em><\/a> published on Thursday, January 1, when he was asked what it was like to form a bond with his new partner Chilli<\/strong> (real name Rozonda Thomas<\/strong>), following his public divorce. (The former couple married in 2019 before Burke filed for divorce in 2022.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the interesting things about when you choose to be in a career like this is that your private life is public, so you have to live those things out on a public stage,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think that\u2019s really fun for anybody, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence, who has mostly remained relatively tight-lipped about his separation from Burke over the years, added that it was difficult to deal with other people\u2019s versions of what went wrong in his marriage.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Matthew Lawrence Reflects on Relationship Issues After Cheryl Burke Split<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tReflecting on his past. Matthew Lawrence discussed the important lesson he learned from his relationships \u2014 and seemingly offered a glimpse at what caused his split from Cheryl Burke. \u201cI found out that that was the reason why I was getting so off course when it comes to relationships. I wound up getting involved with [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cEspecially when you don\u2019t really have control of the narrative or if the narrative isn\u2019t even true, you kind of just have to say, \u2018Well, I\u2019m going to have to just go on with my life and continue to live the life I want to live. And the people that I care about know what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not,\u2019\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd, you just have to grow thick skin and continue on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Dancing With the Stars<\/em> pro Burke, 41, has been candid about her thoughts on her divorce from Lawrence in the past. Speaking on the \u201cI Do, Part 2\u201d podcast in October 2025, Burke admitted she was still \u201cgrieving\u201d the relationship<\/a> breakdown, which happened around the same time she exited DWTS<\/em> after 26 seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t just the divorce with my ex. It was the divorce with Dancing with the Stars<\/em> all in one year, and then leaving my home I lived in for 16 years and I moved to where I am today,\u201d Burke explained. \u201cSo it\u2019s like, it\u2019s just, it was all happening in one year, and those are three big life changes. They say, if you hit five in one year, you\u2019re most likely going to check into the nearest mental institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke.<\/span> (Photo by Steve Granitz\/WireImage)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Burke added, \u201cTo say that I haven\u2019t or still sometimes grieve would be a lie too. I think it can be both, you know? I know that I needed to cut off basically both divorces in order for me to be able to see what I see in the mirror and actually like the person I see.\u201d<\/p>\n

In October 2024, Burke also claimed on a different episode of the same podcast that financial issues negatively impacted their marriage<\/a>. She wondered aloud if Lawrence felt \u201cemasculated\u201d by earning less than she did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what I was marrying. I knew what I was getting into financially,\u201d Burke said at the time. \u201cI\u2019m not going to speak for him. I\u2019m not here to bad mouth him whatsoever. But I believe that there is this gender role.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cA man may feel a little emasculated when he doesn\u2019t make the majority of the money. I think that may have taken a toll.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Cheryl Burke Reacts After Matthew Lawrence Says He Wants Kids With Chilli<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tRooting for him? Cheryl Burke shared her unfiltered thoughts after ex-husband Matthew Lawrence revealed he\u2019s \u201ctrying\u201d to have children with TLC\u2019s Chilli. The Dancing With the Stars alum, 38, opened up about her divorce from the Mrs. Doubtfire actor, 43, during an interview on \u201cThe Most Dramatic Podcast Ever With Chris Harrison,\u201d noting that she [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

For his part, the Mrs. Doubtfire<\/em> star moved on with Chilli and the couple are now happier than ever since they were first romantically linked in late 2022.<\/p>\n

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