Cheryl Burke is speaking on her battle with sobriety, calling herself a “work in progress.”
Burke recently revealed on her podcast, “Burke in the Game,” that drinking has “definitely been on my mind a lot more than normal.”
Cheryl Burke Speaks On Sobriety Battle And Divorce From Matthew Lawrence
This past Wednesday, she spoke with “Good Morning America” about finding it difficult to maintain her four years of sobriety.
“With the sobriety, it’s hard for me to be around people who may have had a few drinks,” she told the outlet. “I tried going out a few weeks ago with a couple of girlfriends and I just know that I know my limit. If I’m not conscious, if I’m not intentional about it, I will easily pick up a drink.”
Burke gave more insight on her choice to divorce her husband of nearly three years, “Boy Meets World” star Matthew Lawrence, earlier this year, saying she had “to put my sobriety first.”
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The Dancing With the Stars pro began dating the Boy Meets World alum in 2007. The pair parted ways a year later, but by 2017 they had reconnected and were talking about spending forever together.
Four months later, Burke revealed that shortly after she and Lawrence got engaged, she decided to cut out alcohol from her life. She celebrated two years of sobriety in September 2020, following the passing of her alcoholic father.
“I think people tend to think that my life is perfect and, you know, through this divorce that I’m still going through, there’s a lot of ups and downs, but I have to put myself first,” she said.
However, in all of this — Burke said she has been diagnosed with social phobia, explaining that she gets “crazy anxiety” in big groups.
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This may surprise some as she is known for “shaking my booty” in front of millions of people on TV.
Burke credited “Dancing with the Stars” with “helping me come out of my shell,” saying her time on the show helped her “find my own identity.”
“It’s an everyday battle, and I think this is my purpose. This was the reason why I was given the platform so that I can share my story,” Burke said. “I’m not perfect, and I never will be — and I always will be a work in progress.”