Cheryl Burke on How Ozempic and Surgery Rumors Threatened Her Sobriety (Excl)

Cheryl Burke has had enough. Throughout her career, including 17 years competing as a pro on Dancing With the Stars (which she left in 2022), she’s endured relentless body shaming. She also suffers from body dysmorphic disorder, an intense fixation on her looks and perceived flaws. For decades, she took other people’s critiques to heart. No more. “I am done being judged,” the San Francisco native tells Us.

Burke’s final straw was an onslaught of online bullying: After years of being told she was too big, her recent weight loss brought out brand-new trolls. Strangers tuning in for her popular “Get Ready With Me” videos and other social content felt comfortable telling her they thought she looked better before. Some accused her of using weight-loss drugs, having excessive plastic surgery and undergoing skin lightening, all of which she denies. 

“It’s a tired subject, and it’s not just talking and commenting,” Burke says. “People are making full-on TikTok videos that they’re editing together, scripting, using graphics, arrows, to point out my face, about the scars that they supposedly see.” She tells Us she’s astonished by the amount of time people have dedicated to tearing her apart. 

Burke admits that her appearance has changed, but says it’s part of a natural transformation, both metaphorical and literal. “Think about the mask I was wearing on the show, from head to toe. My skin color was 20 shades darker,” Burke, 41, tells Us. “That was just what I knew; that’s the competitive ballroom world. I’m learning and realizing who I am underneath all of the makeup, without the tanning beds, the spray tans, all of the extra stuff that I now call a mask.”

With a renewed, recharged outlook on life — she’s single, celibate and seven years sober — Burke sat down with Us at home to discuss learning to please the only judge that matters: herself.

Us: You’ve been judged your whole life, from ballroom competitions to social media. That must be exhausting.

CB: It’s always been this race for me to try and gain others’ acceptance rather than find it within myself. To say that the social media bullying has not affected me would be a lie. I’m human… There were days it got really bad, and I did get depressed because it’s now on a whole other level of dehumanizing. It doesn’t affect me as much as it did, and that has a lot to do with work I’ve been doing with my therapist of close to 15 years. Also an energy healer I’ve been working with has helped me remember who I really am, and that the outside noise doesn’t define me.  

Us: What else have you learned?  

CB: I can’t control what other people are saying about me. I’ve been trying to have compassion for the transition I’ve been going through, this big transformation, heading into the next chapter of my life. Maybe it’s a shock to some people when they see my actual skin color, and no, I’m not bleaching my skin. I’m very proud to be Asian. I feel like I’ve represented my community in a good light. I definitely don’t have shame when it comes to that, but I think people are shocked. I need to find peace and stay grounded so that when it does happen, I can keep moving forward and know who I am as a person. I am done being judged. I mean, what are they judging?   

Us: What pushed you to say, enough is enough?

CB: All I can do is control my actions. I’ve stopped scrolling, and I try not to read any comments, though it’s tempting. Of course you want to see feedback, but it’s got to the point where there’s been so much of it, I just laugh. It’s ridiculous. When it first happened, a few months ago, it was shocking to my system because it was a video of me talking about my mental health, and then just people commenting on the way I look. Initially my reaction was, “Wow, what is happening?” It came out of nowhere. 

Us: What’s the worst comment you’ve read?

CB: The worst video, that scared me, was this woman who was an astrologer.
All she said were negative things, and that freaked me out because I’m a believer of astrology. When you start to mess with stuff I can’t control, then I’m freaking out. But my energy healer said, “We’re going to protect your energy.” And I deleted [TikTok].

Us: How do you cope with the mean videos?

CB: It happens so often that I’m not shocked by it, unfortunately. But I’m not as
hungry to read it, so that means I’m doing better within myself… [Now] I go [on TikTok] just to post, but I really try not to read any comments.

Us: If you could speak to the people who post, what would you say?

CB: You mean the multiple thousands of people? It has everything to do with [each] person; this is a straight-up, 100 percent reflection of who they are. Maybe take accountability over whatever it is that is triggered or that you need to work on. You must be so reactive to have to say anything negative on somebody’s page. You’re tagging me and coming on my page to start this war. I don’t know if it’s for engagement, but if it is, that says a lot about that person.  

Us: Has being in the public eye made you more of a target?

CB: It’s anybody with a social media platform nowadays. I’ve also chosen this path, and I want to empower others and normalize mental health issues. Whether people think I overshare, again, none of my business. I believe I was given this platform because I can be open about my issues, like my sobriety. If I don’t voice it, if I don’t take accountability over how I feel, then the chances of me relapsing are quite high. I know I’m helping at least one other person feel like they’re not alone.

Us: People have said you’re on Ozempic — have you ever considered it?  

CB: No, I have not. There’s just no way, I faint at the sight of needles. And I’ve heard of side effects, people not feeling well, certain things that happen that are too gross to share. I’m not willing to feel like that. I changed my eating habits. I stopped eating past 7 p.m. and it changed my whole body. It wasn’t so much about a number on the scale as it was about how I feel.

Us: What are your thoughts on weight-loss drugs and their prevalence in Hollywood?

CB: To each their own. It’s a personal thing. It has helped with the obesity rate, and there are studies that it helps with Alzheimer’s. I’m not here to judge.

Us: How does it feel when people call you a liar?

CB: I am not a liar. I’ve never gone under the knife to get anything done. There’s been no nips, tucks, Ozempic, nothing like that. To be called a liar obviously doesn’t feel good, but I also know my truth. I’m learning to feel comfortable in my skin, my actual skin I was born with. This is who I am and I feel great that I don’t have layers of makeup on; this is just for me. Now, who knows? Maybe in my chapter three, I may want to start tanning again and put on tons of makeup, but I’m in this era of my life, and if you don’t accept me, unfollow me.  

Us: You recently said, “My face has changed because I’ve changed.” What does that mean?  

CB: Being 41 is a change. My career, relationship status and where I live have changed. Those are huge changes; and you can either fight it or you can embrace it; but if you fight it, it’s going to delay the process. I’m definitely going through perimenopause and boy, are my hormones changing, and it’s OK.

Us: The negative comments you’ve addressed were mostly from other women — why do you think that is?

CB: There’s always been an issue of women not necessarily being supportive of other women. It’s triggering, whether it’s your own insecurity, it’s so much easier to get catty with each other; there’s feelings that come up. I’ve never lashed out on social media, but there’s feelings of jealousy or envy. What’s sad is the compassion has been lost, and giving each other grace. There’s a lot more work that needs to be done. I could have easily taken a backseat, been silent about this, which I was for a few weeks, but I have a platform for a reason. I’m going to use my voice. It’s more about the next generation; we don’t want this to continue.

Us: You mentioned therapy. Have there been any new discoveries there?

CB: My OCD. It was really freeing when I got diagnosed because it made sense. And then when she said it’s hereditary, which I didn’t realize — my father was very OCD. It’s given me grace. It also served its purpose as a ballroom dancer; I credit my OCD to the many times I made the finals on DWTS and how I made my partners into true dancers.  

Us: You recently marked seven years of sobriety; that’s a huge accomplishment.

CB: I can’t believe it’s been seven years. I’m really proud of myself, it’s been an up-and-down journey, and to say I’ve never thought about relapsing would be a lie. Drinking, I thought, gave me constant confidence, liquid confidence that obviously was not real, but it gave me the courage to go out. It was me trying to regulate my nervous system through alcohol. It was just survival mode for many years.

Us: Did the pressure from online bullying make you consider drinking?

CB: Yeah, it was something that I definitely thought about doing, but I wouldn’t be able to live with that shame or guilt if I were to relapse. To have thrown seven years down the drain, I’d hate myself. I’ve taken so much time to love who I see in the mirror, that is something that’s also new to me, but I definitely am on that path. I would hate what I would see if I ever drank a sip of alcohol.

Us: How do you protect your sobriety?

CB: I talk about it freely. That’s one of the first steps of the 12-step program, you have to take accountability over your disease, your actions. In order for me to stay sober, I voice it — whether that’s with my therapist or to Us Weekly!

Us: Can we clear up the rumors about plastic surgery once and for all?

CB: I’ve seen horrible videos, plastic surgery gone wrong. Also, my mom is blind in one eye — she tried to get an extra fold in her eye — and that scared the crap out of me. She woke up blind and the doctor was like, “Sorry, I messed up.” She lost the lawsuit. When you do plastic surgery, it’s at your own risk; I don’t want that to happen ever. For me, it’s just not an option.

Us: You spoke about struggling with body dysmorphia. Have you ever considered yourself as having an eating disorder?

CB: I actually don’t know… I think the disorder was my body dysmorphia. I definitely have body dysmorphia. When I look in the mirror, especially during my fittings, let’s say for a dance costume, I’m not seeing what everyone else is. I’m seeing somebody who most likely is heavier. If I was in a dress showing my back and I saw a roll, it would ruin my day. I was an angry person when I didn’t feel good.

Us: Tell Us about your healthy-eating plan. 

CB: Z.E.N. is a program that delivers fresh food to your home; it’s basically having a chef. The food is delicious and it’s portion control. [Daily calories range from 1,200 to 1,400.] I have oatmeal with fruit every morning. I have a snack, pita, chips and hummus. Lunch is normally a salad, and then I will have my dinner.It’s not diet food, it’s real food. When I first started Z.E.N., five or six years ago, I’d supplement with drive-throughs because I was actively dancing and I was an emotional eater. I would only eat at night. Now I don’t even remember the last time I had fast food; it’s just not something I’m craving.  

Us: Would you say you’re limiting yourself?

CB: I’m not trying to lose weight anymore. I eat licorice. I have my morning fruit shake, which is more calories than any of my meals that I’m eating. I have to have my matcha from Peet’s Coffee every morning, and if they have the warm pretzel bread, I’ll get it because it’s just the best thing in the world. I’m very lenient.  

Us: How long will you be on Z.E.N.?   

CB: I don’t ever plan to stop unless I move out of California. It’s created more balance in my meals. I’ve learned that starving myself, then eating one big meal, doesn’t work for my body. I was also not wanting to eat in front of people — that was a trigger for me. Being called out for being overweight, the last thing you want to do is shove food in your mouth in front of people, especially people who are fit and on the show with you.  

Us: Have you seen a change in your weight?

CB: I don’t weigh myself daily anymore because it was a problem. At my heaviest, I was about 150. [At the start of her recent weight loss journey, Burke was around 145]. The last time I checked, I was 109. I feel f**king great; my energy is on another level. That 109 doesn’t matter, what matters is how I feel.

Us: You’ve talked about DWTS costars fat-shaming you. Does that still affect you?

CB: I don’t think about it at all anymore. Again, that is not my business, that’s on you. It’s a shame, and it hurt, but that was such a long time ago. I am so past it.

Us: Are you working out?  

CB: I walk my dog a couple of miles a day. I have a treadmill where I edit my content because now that I’m a full-time beauty influencer, I actually can only edit content on a treadmill. It’s the craziest.

Us: You’ve been through some major life changes, including leaving L.A. Do you think your 2022 divorce from Matthew Lawrence was a catalyst?

CB: I don’t think my divorce had anything to do with me wanting to feel good about myself. I took the chance to not stay where I felt comfortable — not just my marriage, also with the show. These were some of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made in my life, but that goes back to me feeding my soul, showing that I care about myself, prioritizing that. I was able to look at myself and be proud of myself and just like myself instead of being a prisoner to what other people want from me.

Us: What could get you back to the ballroom as a pro?

CB: New hips. Or Brad Pitt? I’ll dance with President Obama. I think he’d be great. A little tall — I’m 5-foot-4 on a good day.

Us: How has the show changed since you’ve been on it?

CB: It’s going strong, creating a new generation of audiences. It’s a beautiful thing to see that ballroom dancing grew into this massive hit. I will always support the show. I love how dance is still celebrated.