How long has Cheryl Burke been sober? DWTS dancer looks back on what threatened her sobriety

TV personality Cheryl Burke, who worked on Dancing with the Stars, opened up about her sobriety journey in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, published August 6. She recently went through a weight loss journey, which was reportedly trolled by online critics.

Burke was allegedly accused of using dr*gs for weight loss, rumors which she dismissed. Burke, who is seven years sober, shared that she used to care a lot about what others thought and wanted people to accept her. She admitted that discouraging comments on social media hurt her and sometimes made her sad.

Cheryl Burke had been working with her therapist for many years and also got help from an energy healer, which reminded her of her true self and taught her not to let others' opinions decide how she felt about herself.

During the interview, Burke was asked if the constant online bullying made her want to relapse, to which she said:

“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.”

She went on:

“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.”

When Cheryl Burke spoke of being sober for seven years, she said she felt proud of herself, although she occasionally thought about drinking again.

Cheryl Burke looks back on the plastic surgery rumors and dealing with body dysmorphia

When asked how she protected her sobriety, Burke said she liked to openly discuss it as it was an essential part of the 12-step program. She said she prefers talking about it to her counsellor or any media outlet.

Addressing the rumors about her plastic surgery, Cheryl Burke shared that she didn’t want to take that risk and that she had seen scary stories about surgeries going wrong. She said her mother even lost vision in one eye after trying to change how her eyelid looked. The doctor made a mistake, and even though her mom went to court, she didn’t win.

Speaking about body dysmorphia, Burke said:

“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.”

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Cheryl Burke shared that for a long time, she tried hard to make other people like her instead of believing in herself. She noted that hurtful comments on social media did affect her. It got so bad that she felt like people didn’t even treat her like a real person.

Burke felt she couldn’t stop others from saying things about her, and tried to be kind to herself during a major change in her life. She felt proud of being Asian.

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