Cheryl Burke defiantly addresses scrutiny over her physical transformation
Cheryl Burke wants to change the conversation about her appearance.
The Dancing With The Stars pro, 41, opened up about the scrutiny she has been facing over her physical transformation in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
While she is aware she 'signed up' for the attention by virtue of being famous, she still feels gaslit when when hit with comments about her physical appearance and would prefer to focus on all the work she has done from herself 'from the inside out.'
She told the outlet: 'Let's talk about mental health, let's talk about like what I've done as far as the last few years when I haven't been in the spotlight but I have done so much work on myself from the inside out.
'And for me, you know, I'm proud of that work and I wish the conversation would be more towards and geared towards that instead of "She is on Ozempic, she got a whole face lift and everything about her has changed"... gaslighting.
'If I were to say it doesn't affect me, I'd be lying. But does it affect me as bad as it did when I was on the show? Not even close!... I know I've signed up for it, I understand, I'm a public figure, I'm not trying to stop anything from happening.
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'But I just am here to hopefully influence anyone who is in a similar position as me or who can relate, especially young women, that, you know, there is more depth to a human being than their outside physical appearance.'
Cheryl - who was married to Boy Meets World star Matthew Lawrence from 2019 until 2022 - has suffered from body dysmoprhia for most of her life, and admitted that it reached its peak when she had to undergo regular fittings during her time on the ABC dance competition and she became obsessed with her weight.
She said: 'I do suffer from body dysmorphia... especially as a dancer in front of mirrors. Constantly. Since I was a little girl, and this was even before my Dancing with the Stars career.
'My weight has always been an issue but I think what people sometimes don't understand is it is a lot of work, it takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of self-care... In the height of my insecurity and my body dysphoria was weekly fittings on the show.
'And I don't blame the show by any means; but it's just the name of the game... squeezing into these costumes, and it is what it is. But it would affect me to the point where I would weigh myself constantly. I would travel with a scale. That's crazy, that is definitely on a whole other level and I knew this could no longer continue. The number would affect my every day, just would dictate how I feel.'
She attributed her weight loss to the food program Zen and shifting her eating habits.
Her interview comes after Cheryl slammed social media critics commenting about her appearance.
The Dancing With The Stars professional dancer took to her TikTok page last week to dispel rumors that she was using weight-loss drug Ozempic.
'Let's just address the elephant in the comment section. I'm not on Ozempic. I'm not sick. I didn't get a face transplant, and no, I didn't get a brow lift,' she said in the TikTok video as she took her makeup off.
'The level of projection that is happening and that I'm witnessing is wild,' the star said, referring to the countless comments fans have left under her videos regarding her changed appearance.
'This is not Cheryl Burke,' one person wrote under her previous video, which featured the star dancing, while another said: 'GLP1 Final Boss' and someone else said 'Ozempic Cheryl.'
The way some of you guys talk about me, it's like you think I'm a headline or a filter, not a person. But what really gets me, "We miss the old Cheryl."'
'Suite Life of Zack and Cody Cheryl. Back in 2006, Dancing With The Stars season two when I was 21 years old. Or the three years ago Cheryl when I was going through a divorce. Because I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn't exist anymore,' she said as she wiped off her makeup.
Adding: 'The assumptions are just exhausting as hell. The accusations are completely cruel and the fact that so many of them are coming from women - that's what's so shocking and hurtful to be quite honest.'
Cheryl went on to say in the TikTok: 'I have been in the public eye since I was 21 years old. My body has changed over the past 20 years. My face has changed because I have changed. I've experienced so much trauma, divorce and this is by no means a pity party, sobriety, burn out, reinvention, I've healed, I've lost, I've grieved like anybody else and yeah, maybe it shows but I'm not sorry for it, not one bit.'
'Do you want to know what's really changed? My passion, my purpose, my commitment to using this platform for something real. But what's been so challenging honestly lately is this pressure to prove that I haven't done something. To convince people that honestly my healing is valid, simply because it doesn't come with a before and after label they approve of,' she said.
'I'm still the same person that advocated for mental health and body image for years' noting that she does it different now,' adding that 'this is me at 41. I'm still healing, still growing and still choosing to show up.'
The star noted that if 'you're here to speculate, compare, or demand answers that you're not entitled to, you're not welcome' in her space that she created.
She added the caption: 'I'm not on Ozempic. I'm not sick. I didn't get "a new face." Stop dissecting women's bodies like they belong to you. This is YOUR reminder: I don't owe you an explanation for my healing or for anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it,' adding hashtags: '#stopbodyshaming #realtalk #mentalhealthawareness.'
Cheryl got a divorce from actor Matthew Lawrence in 2022 after they were married for three years.
He went on to date TLC singer Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas.
Cheryl became a household name on Dancing With The Stars, which she appeared in for 26 seasons until her retirement from the show in 2022.
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