'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Cheryl Burke Reveals Wild Number of Reptiles That Live With Her and Husband Matthew Lawrence

01/07/2022 08:27 am EST

It's a jungle out there for Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence! The Dancing With the Stars pro revealed on Thursday's Kelly Clarkson Show that among her and her husband's many pets are "45-50 reptiles," and she's not exactly their biggest fan. Burke joked that "opposites attract" when it comes to her marriage, because "I love animals, but he likes reptiles."

"He has 45-50 reptiles that live beneath us," Burke continued, adding, "No snakes! That was the deal, no snakes. But when we dated a little over a decade ago I knew I would be marrying a guy who loves reptiles." The professional dancer revealed her husband cares for many different kinds of reptiles, including "iguanas that look like alligators," but she makes sure to keep her beloved French bulldog away from all of the cold-blooded critters in the house. "She's my little baby, so I'm like, 'Stay far away!'" Burke said, laughing. "She stays away from the cages."

Burke has become one of the most beloved Dancing With the Stars pros over the years but told fellow pro Witney Carson on her Pretty Messed Up podcast she might have "one more year" left in her for dancing on the ABC show. Burke shared that she and Lawrence wanted to start a family, but she feared her body wouldn't "bounce back" after giving birth.

"You're my inspiration for having kids someday because I have body dysmorphia," Burke told Carson, "just being in this business and being in the competition world." Carson agreed that DWTS viewers "have this thing where they feel like they can have a full range of commenting on our bodies, and it's tough to be constantly judged in that way."

Burke later opened up about her body dysmorphia on Instagram, explaining in a candid video, "I've always been a very curvy girl, and it has been very challenging for me to – not keep my weight down – but be accepted by society today because I am curvy." It's still a struggle today, especially being on Dancing With the Stars. "I'll never forget ... being blasted by the press about being 'too fat for TV,'" she recalled. "It hasn't stopped me from being on the show, but it does take a toll on your mental health." 

Despite the external pressures, she advised people struggling with similar body image issues to "try to nourish your body. Treat your body the way it should be treated. Respect your body the way it should be respected. Feel good, because if you feel good from the inside, you definitely look good from the outside."

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