Cheryl Burke Opens Up About Coping With Family Loss in a Health Update
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Race to Erase MS Reading Time: 2 minutes
Dancer and former pro on Dancing With The Stars, Cheryl Burke recently gave fans a mental health update after months out of the public eye. In an emotional Instagram video this week, Burke revealed that she is actively grieving the shocking death of her stepsister this past August.
Cheryl Burke Says “Life Goes On” Amid The Loss of Her Sister
While not divulging the details surrounding her stepsister’s passing out of respect for her family’s privacy, Burke explained that the tragic loss showed her just how fleeting life can be. She admitted she never truly understood the meaning of how short life is until faced with this devastating event.
“Honestly so much has happened in just the last few months of my life,” Burke said. “As I evolve, people in your life come and go. Whether that be because of an actual death occurring or even when it comes to a death of friendships, death of coworkers, acquaintances, family members, pets – life just keeps moving forward.”
Burke candidly reflected on coping with grief, expanding on her realization that friendships, family ties, and other relationships naturally transform over time as life circumstances change. She related this phenomenon to her own personal journey.
For instance, Burke noted that her inner circle of close confidants has drastically evolved since her early days of frequent partying in her youth compared to more recently embracing sobriety for over five years now.
Additionally, as Burke has navigated major transitions like retiring as a professional dancer on ABC’s hit reality competition show DWTS after 26 history-making seasons, launching her Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast under iHeartMedia, and relocating from Los Angeles, her community has shifted.
Cheryl Burke Shared Her Opinion on The DWTS Season 32 Winners
With the Mirrorball Trophy awarded and another season of DWTS wrapped, former long-running pro dancer Burke is sharing her final takes.
According to Burke, while she did correctly predict three out of the four finalists early on, season 32 champion Xochitl Gomez admittedly wasn’t originally on her radar. However, Burke asserts that the young star was the rightful winner thanks to her and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy’s unmatched consistency.
“It was very well deserved; Xochiti and Val were the most consistent out of every single couple throughout the whole season,” Burke said.
Burke also singled Jason Mraz out as impressively holding his own with pro Daniella Karagach’s intricate choreography each week. She feels his talents were underscored.
“It was pretty impressive with all the fast footwork, and Jason held his own,” Burke said. “For me, what these two were so good at was doing these hard routines and making it look easy and flawless.”
