{"id":39599,"date":"2023-09-19T18:06:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T18:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/19\/cheryl-burke-says-dancing-with-the-stars-exit-is-her-worst-divorce\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T18:06:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T18:06:38","slug":"cheryl-burke-says-dancing-with-the-stars-exit-is-her-worst-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/19\/cheryl-burke-says-dancing-with-the-stars-exit-is-her-worst-divorce\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheryl Burke Says ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Exit Is Her ‘Worst Divorce’"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Cheryl Burke<\/strong><\/a> spent half her life as a pro on Dancing With the Stars<\/em><\/a>, so retirement has been quite a transition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been the worst divorce because \u2026 though it was my choice, it doesn\u2019t matter. This was a part of my life [for] almost half of my life,\u201d Burke, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> while promoting her new podcast, \u201cSex Lies and Spray Tans<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burke \u2014 who left DWTS<\/em> two months after her divorce<\/a> from her husband of three years, Matthew Lawrence<\/strong><\/a>, was finalized \u2014 takes a look back at Dancing With the Stars<\/em> through the years on the iHeartMedia podcast, which debuted on Monday, September 18. The former cast member speaks to several DWTS<\/em> alums, starting with the very first eliminated star, Trista Sutter<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think doing this podcast, though, is helping me grieve in a weird way,\u201d Burke told Us<\/em>. \u201cI can\u2019t run away from the fact that this has been a part of my life, nor would I want to. I am never going to bite the hand that feeds me still to this day. And also, this is my family \u2014 regardless if it\u2019s dysfunctional or not \u2014 they saw me grow up in front of their eyes. And same thing with the fans, which is why I do believe, I feel like I owe this to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>‘DWTS’ Cast Reacts to Cheryl Burke’s Retirement After 26 Seasons<\/a>
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\n\t\t\tAs Cheryl Burke prepares to retire her ballroom heels and sparkly costumes, her Dancing With the Stars\u00a0colleagues are remembering her 26-season career. \u201cIt\u2019s been a wild ride\u00a0\ud83d\udd7a\ud83c\udffc\u00a0So proud of all you have achieved and overcome,\u201d former pro Derek Hough, who joined the\u00a0DWTS\u00a0judging panel in 2020, wrote via Instagram comment on Sunday, November 20. \u201cForever left [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The upcoming season of DWTS<\/em> will be the first since Burke retired in November 2022<\/a> at the end of season 31. She appeared on 26 seasons of the ABC series.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life & I am also confident that it is the right one,\u201d she wrote via Instagram at the time. \u201cThis show has been my 2nd family since I was 21 years old. The cast, crew & fans have seen me through my highest highs & some of my lowest lows, & I honestly don\u2019t know who I would be today without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

While speaking with Us<\/em> recently, Burke explained that while she loves the competition show, she wants to go beyond the ballroom. \u201cI\u2019m not here to bad-mouth the show, by any means,\u201d she explained. \u201cI\u2019ll always be Dancing With the Stars<\/em>\u2018 No. 1 fan, but I don\u2019t believe that we\u2019re doing our fans justice by just showing them a minute of that package prior to our live performance, and then we go dark after the season\u2019s over and that\u2019s it. And they want to hear personally from each of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Cheryl Burke.<\/span> Jon Kopaloff\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She hopes to dive into the journeys of pros and stars who didn\u2019t get a ton of air time. \u201cIf they get eliminated first<\/a>, you don\u2019t even get a chance to be on their journey,\u201d Burke emphasized.<\/p>\n

When a pair is eliminated, competitors are often caught up in the emotions of saying goodbye to the ballroom. Burke wants to make it clear that their stories didn\u2019t end when the cameras turned off.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Former \u2018DWTS\u2019 Partners That Stayed Good Friends After the Show<\/a>
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\n\t\t\tFrom the ballroom to\u00a0the real world!\u00a0Many\u00a0of\u00a0Dancing With the Stars\u2019 celebrity contestants\u00a0and their professional partners\u00a0developed\u00a0strong bonds and friendships throughout the process. Months\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and\u00a0even\u00a0years\u00a0\u2014 after their seasons\u00a0concluded, many of these former pairs have continued to be good friends to their one-time dance partner. Four years after competing on season 24 of the popular dance competition series in 2017, [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t get a chance to talk about the nitty gritty details because everyone gets so emotional. You see us all, blood, sweat and tears, and then you\u2019re like, but why?\u201d she told Us<\/em>. \u201cNo one understands why we love it so much and why we\u2019re all vying for this mirror ball trophy. But really it\u2019s bigger than that and nobody understands. And so I\u2019m here just to honestly talk about it all and my guests have been so far, so open with their experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being totally honest doesn\u2019t always come with a G-rating, Burke warned Us<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough it may seem catty, it\u2019s not by any means. This is just the truth,\u201d Burke added. \u201cI\u2019ve always said Dancing With the Stars<\/em> needs a show called Dancing with the Stars After Dark<\/em> because we have so much to talk about. Whether it be Disney-appropriate \u2014 probably not, which is why it would be After Dark<\/em>. But this is what this podcast is, and I think we do owe it to our loyal fans and to our new fans. Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

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