Cheryl Burke Reflects on Sobriety Journey, Shows Gratitude for Her Dog
Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke recently got candid about her sobriety journey in a newly uploaded Instagram post. Within the same post she mentioned how her dog Ysabella kept her going amid her rough marriage.
Cheryl Burke Shares Her Four-Year Journey to Sobriety
In 2018, the Dancing With The Stars pro began her sobriety journey. Apparently, the decision to sober up happened shortly after her father died and got buried in Thailand. Each time Burke had a drink, she “would turn red and break out in hives,” which frightened her.
“I had never had a reaction like that before. It was like my body was rejecting the poison I so desperately wanted to use to numb,” she wrote.
Burke didn’t immediately tell anyone that she would quit alcohol, afraid that she might be sabotaging herself. Looking back, she supposed that her fears that “saved her life.”
Soon after Burke quit drinking, she went from being engaged to Matthew Lawrence, to working on her marriage during the COVID-19 lockdown, to divorcing earlier this year. Even though she’s grateful she conquered it all while sober, she was honest, saying that the journey wasn’t easy.
“So, these past four years have been filled with a lot of heartache, a lot of soul searching, a lot of coming to terms with my past and the way things have ended up in my present,” she wrote.
Determined to have a sober life, Burke realized that she owes it to herself to “live my life as fully as I can.” Thus, she strongly tried to resist the temptations.
She Thanks her Dog Ysabella Amid Custody Battle Against Ex-Husband
The Dancing With The Stars pro has been open about her possible custody battle for her dog, Ysabella. In one episode of her podcast, Burke in the Game, the DWTS pro stated that she’s hurt by the whole situation because she treats Ysabella like her daughter.
According to Burke, there were days when vodka seemed appealing, especially when she went through a public divorce. Thankfully, her dog shifted her energy to something else.
“Ysabella has tons of energy and gets me outside to go for walks multiple times a day, she loves me to play with her and I honestly can’t imagine life without her by my side 24/7,” she wrote.
Despite present life predicaments, Burke is ready to share her passion in dancing in “new ways.” This might be related to her possible retirement from Dancing With The Stars. Additionally, now that she’s starting over, dating is still uncertain within her equation.
