<p id=”par-1_29″>Cheryl Burke was the longest-running female <em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/dancing-with-the-stars/”>Dancing with the Stars</a></em> pro. However, despite her longevity and success on the series, Burke once believed she was “too fat for TV.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-cheryl-burke-felt-negative-about-her-body-as-a-dancing-with-the-stars-pro”>Cheryl Burke felt negative about her body as a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro</h2>
<p id=”par-2_28″>Throughout her <em>Dancing with the Stars</em> career, Cheryl Burke felt she looked different than her other female pros. She compared her body to others whom believed were thinner.</p>
<p id=”par-3_32″>During an appearance on the<a href=”https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-amy-and-tj-podcast-131896686/episode/the-trouble-with-sex-lies-and-167892642/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”> Amy & TJ Podcast</a>, Burke admits she has body dysmorphia. She believes appearing on the show added to the negative feelings she already had about her body.</p>
<p id=”par-4_34″>“As far as wearing one of the outfits, I would probably get on some, I don’t know, some sort of strict diet,” Burke said of the possibility of ever appearing on the series again.</p>
<p id=”par-5_36″>“But that’s my body dysmorphia that I’ll forever have… I’m very open with that,” she continued. “I started when I was 21 years old and I went through this horrific like, ‘She’s too fat for TV.’” </p>
<p id=”par-6_20″>“I was also growing into who I am as a woman, and with that, I did gain weight,” she concluded.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-cheryl-burke-admitted-she-was-curvy-in-comparison-to-other-dancers”>Cheryl Burke admitted she was ‘curvy’ in comparison to other dancers</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-large” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1800″ height=”900″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=1024&h=512&strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke were partnered during Season 7 of ‘Dancing with the Stars.'” class=”wp-image-3653116″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg 1800w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=640&h=320 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=1024&h=512 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=768&h=384 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=1536&h=768 1536w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=620&h=310 620w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=300&h=150 300w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=200&h=100 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=902&h=451 902w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/maurice-greene-and-cheryl-burke.jpg?w=120&h=60 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke were partnered during Season 7 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ | Kelsey McNeal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-7_40″>Cheryl Burke joined the <em>Dancing with the Stars</em> cast in Season 2, where she was the first female pro to win a mirrorball alongside Drew Lachey. She backed that up in Season 3 with another win with partner Emmitt Smith.</p>
<p id=”par-8_24″>However, Burke said it was in Season 7 that she realized others had opinions about her weight. That was difficult for her to understand.</p>
<p id=”par-9_32″>She told the Amy & TJ podcast, “I think it was just people like people that watch the show. I mean, you know, I did gain a few pounds during the hiatus.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_25″>Burke continued, “Yes, I mean, naturally right like we do. But, like, I am curvy in comparison to a lot of the other professional women.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_41″>However, the former pro said that it wasn’t an issue whenever she gained weight with those behind the scenes at the reality competition series. She was not <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dancing-with-the-stars-cheryl-burke-body-shamed-by-fans.html/”>body shamed</a>, nor pressured to lose weight at any time during her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dancing-with-the-stars-everything-we-know-about-cheryl-burke-final-dance-real-reason-leaving.html/”>26-season run</a>.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-despite-being-a-fan-favorite-cheryl-burke-wasn-t-asked-back-for-a-len-goodman-tribute”>Despite being a fan favorite, Cheryl Burke wasn’t asked back for a Len Goodman tribute</h2>
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<iframe title=”Most Memorable Year – Len Goodman Tribute | Dancing with the Stars” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/IK2itAsB-8Y?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dancing-with-the-stars-cheryl-burke-opens-impact-body-dysmorphia-career.html/”>
‘Dancing with the Stars’: Cheryl Burke Opens up About Impact of Body Dysmorphia on Her Career </a>
</p>
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<p id=”par-12_47″>Despite her success and longevity in <em>Dancing with the Stars</em>, Cheryl Burke believes her exclusion from the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dancing-with-the-stars-cheryl-burke-girl-version-len-goodman.html/”>Len Goodman tribute</a> upset her. Past and former dance pros joined together to perform a ballroom number dedicated to Goodman during the show’s “Most Memorable Year” episode in October 2023.</p>
<p id=”par-13_40″>Burke believes her podcast, <a href=”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sex-lies-and-spray-tans/id1707240253″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Sex, Lies, & Spray Tans</em></a>, contributed to her not being asked to participate in the event. “I would assume that some people may not be happy with the podcast I have here with iHeart,” she explained.</p>
<p id=”par-14_27″>She also no longer feels like she is part of the <em>Dancing with the Stars</em> family. “It’s so personal, and people can separate the two,” Burke explained.</p>
<p id=”par-15_41″>“I’m like, ‘Are you a sociopath?’ Because I don’t get it. I don’t know how you do that. I don’t know how you separate it because, for me as an artist, dance is so vulnerable, like literally so vulnerable,” Burke concluded.</p>
<p id=”par-16_24″><em>Dancing with the Stars</em> is currently on hiatus. Cheryl Burke’s podcast <em>Sex, Lies & Spray Tans</em> airs can be found wherever you download podcasts.</p>