Cheryl Burke Opens Up About Past Body Image Struggles & Her New Focus

Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke is opening up about past body image struggles and how she has shifted her focus to improve her physical and mental health. See what Burke said about working on herself these days.

Cheryl Burke Shares Her Past Struggle With Body Dysmorphia

During a May 30 interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Burke cleared up the rumors about changes in her appearance — no, she didn’t use any weight loss medications, and no, she hasn’t had any plastic surgery. She also confirmed she’s not dealing with any health issues.

Burke did discuss her weight loss during the vulnerable interview, noting that she doesn’t own a scale now because she is “obsessive.”

“I do suffer from body dysmorphia, and especially as a dancer in front of mirrors constantly — since I was a little girl,” she shared.

The former “DWTS” pro continued, “And this was even before my ‘Dancing With the Stars’ career, my weight has always been an issue. I think what people sometimes don’t understand is it is a lot of work [and] it takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of self-care.”

“I have to say, in the height of my insecurity and my body dysmorphia 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,” Burke said. “But it would affect me to the point where I would weigh myself constantly [and] I would travel with a scale. That’s crazy … and I knew that this could no longer continue.”

Burke also noted, “I think a lot of people may now take my weight loss as, ‘Well she’s not a good example’ … But just because I have chosen to lose weight, to work on myself, to feel good, to actually love what I see in the mirror, but more importantly, to love me … that doesn’t mean that I’m no longer an advocate.”

Cheryl Burke Reveals the Healthy Way She Lost Weight

As for how she lost weight, Burke explained, “I’m on a very clean food program called Zen. They deliver fresh to my home every single evening.”

Additionally, the former “DWTS” pro said she has changed a nighttime binge-eating habit she used to have and now doesn’t eat past 6 p.m.

Burke’s perspective has changed drastically as well. “Now, I have to choose myself. Like, I have to choose to be healthy,” she explained. “It is something that I put as my number one priority … I’m really focusing on me and feeling good, first from within, and then whatever follows follows.”

She shared, “I have done so much work on myself from the inside out. And for me, I’m proud of that work. And I wish the conversation would be geared towards that instead of, ‘She is on Ozempic, she got a whole facelift, and everything about her has changed.'”

“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 [Dancing With the Stars]? Not even close,” Burke noted.