Cheryl Burke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheryl Burke
Burke in 2008
Born	(1984-05-03) May 3, 1984 (age 41) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Dancer model television host
Years active	1988–present
Spouse(s)	Matthew Lawrence ​ ​ (m. 2019; div. 2022)​

Cheryl Burke (born May 3, 1984) is an American dancer, model, and TV host. She is most famous for being a professional dancer on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She was the first female professional to win the show. She was also the first professional to win twice, and win two seasons in a row. She has been part of 26 seasons of the show. She also came in second on the NBC series I Can Do That. In 2017, she took over for Abby Lee Miller on Dance Moms.

Cheryl Burke's Early Life

Cheryl Burke was born and grew up in San Francisco. She went to Menlo-Atherton High School. Her father is American, and her mother is Filipino. Her parents divorced when she was a baby. Her father later moved to Thailand. Her mother, who was a nurse, started her own healthcare company. A DNA test showed that Burke is 53% Ashkenazi Jewish and 47% Filipino.

Dancing with the Stars Journey

Cheryl Burke won her first mirror ball trophy with 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey. This was in the show's second season. She won her second championship with retired football star Emmitt Smith in the third season.

Burke returned for Season 4 on March 19, 2007. She was partnered with actor Ian Ziering. They were eliminated in the semifinals on May 15, 2007.

Cheryl also went on a 38-city Dancing with the Stars tour. This tour lasted from December 19, 2006, to February 11, 2007. She also joined the second summer tour. That tour visited 24 cities between June 20, 2007, and July 24, 2007. Drew Lachey was her partner for both tours. Burke competed on season 5 with Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton. They were the third couple to leave the competition on October 9, 2007.

Burke participated in the Dancing with the Stars winter tour. It started on December 18, 2007, and ended on February 10, 2008. She competed on season 6 with actor Cristián de la Fuente. They trained in Palm Beach, Florida. They made it to the finals and finished in third place on May 20, 2008.

Burke returned for season 7 with partner Maurice Greene. They were eliminated in week 8 on November 11, 2008, finishing in fifth place. She returned for the show's eighth season with actor Gilles Marini. They finished as runners-up, losing to Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. Burke competed on the ninth season with former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay. They had to leave the competition on October 6, 2009, because DeLay had stress fractures in both feet.

For the movie Toy Story 3, Burke helped create the paso doble dance. She performed it with Tony Dovolani and the Gipsy Kings played live music. She also made a fitness video based on Latin dances with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

In season ten, she was partnered with Chad Ochocinco. They were eliminated in the semi-finals and came in fourth place. Rick Fox was her partner in the show's eleventh season. They were voted off in the seventh week, finishing in sixth place. For the twelfth season, she was partnered with wrestler Chris Jericho. They were voted off in the sixth week. In the thirteenth season, Burke was partnered with reality star Rob Kardashian. They came in second place. In the fourteenth season, Cheryl Burke was partnered with actor William Levy. They made it to the finals and finished in third place.

In Season 15, Burke returned with her former partner and season 3 Champion, Emmitt Smith. They hoped to win another mirrorball trophy but were eliminated in the semi-finals. For season 16, Burke was partnered with comedian D.L. Hughley. They finished in ninth place after being eliminated in the fifth week. For season 17, she was partnered with TV personality Jack Osbourne. Osbourne's struggle with multiple sclerosis inspired Burke. They made it to the finals and finished in third place.

For season 18, she was paired with game show host and actor Drew Carey. They were eliminated in week 6 and finished in eighth place. For season 19, she was paired with soap opera star Antonio Sabàto Jr.. They were eliminated in week 7 and finished in eighth place. After Season 19, Burke decided to take a break from DWTS to work on other projects.

On August 30, 2016, it was announced that Burke would return for season 23. She was partnered with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. After one season off, Burke returned for season 25, her 20th season as a pro. She was paired with former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens and finished in sixth place. After another season off, she returned for season 27. She was paired with actor Juan Pablo Di Pace. Even though they earned five perfect scores and had the highest average score of the season, they were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Burke returned for season 28 where she was partnered with former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis. However, in week 3, they had to leave the competition because Lewis hurt his foot. For season 29, she was partnered with Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean, finishing in seventh place. For the 30th season of DWTS, she was partnered with Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby. She was partnered with Good Morning America meteorologist Sam Champion for season 31. On November 20, 2022, Burke announced she would leave the show as a pro dancer after the season 31 finale.

Other TV Shows

Burke had a guest role on the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She appeared in the episode "Loosely Ballroom" with other Dancing professionals. She played Shannon, a nurse helping during a dance contest. Her character and partner won the competition.

She finished in second place on the first season of I Can Do That. She lost to Nicole Scherzinger in the final performance. Burke had been leading the competition since week 2. In 2017, she replaced Abby Lee Miller on Dance Moms. She took over the ALDC Elite competition team. The team was then called "The Irreplaceable's."

Burke appeared on Hell's Kitchen as a special guest diner. This was in the ninth episode of Season 17.

In January 2025, Burke was on season 28 of Worst Cooks in America. This was a celebrity edition where she competed on Jeff Mauro's "Heroes" team. She was the first contestant eliminated in the second episode. She received $2,500 for the mental health charity Better You. She recently signed a deal with ABC.

Awards and Achievements

• 2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin Champion
• 2005 San Francisco Latin Champion
• 2005 Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Latin Champion
• UK Championships
• 4th in the U.S. in the "Under 21s" category.
• Two-time Dancing with the Stars champion:
  • Season 2 with Drew Lachey
  • Season 3 with Emmitt Smith
• Prime Time Emmy 2006, Outstanding Choreography
• On October 20, 2007, Cheryl won the Role Model Award. This was at the 7th Annual Filipino/American Library Gala.
• At the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards, she won the Viewer's Choice award for Favorite TV Personality.

Personal Life and Challenges

Burke in 2009

Cheryl Burke has done many promotions outside of Dancing with the Stars. These include working with Depend Silhouette briefs, Impress Nails, and Sargento Cheese. Her work with these companies has helped raise a lot of money. For example, Depend donated $50,000 to Dress for Success. She opened her first dance studio in April 2008. The next year, she created her own line of activewear.

In 2011, Burke released her autobiography, Dancing Lessons. Her book talks about difficult experiences she had as a child. She also discusses challenges with her body image. She shared that when she was very young, she was hurt by someone she knew. She bravely spoke up about this experience when she was six years old.

In 2017, People and Us Weekly magazines reported that Burke was dating actor Matthew Lawrence. They first met in 2006 when Lawrence's brother, Joey, was on DWTS. Burke and Lawrence had dated before, from 2007 to 2008. Lawrence proposed to Burke on May 3, 2018, which was her 34th birthday. They got married on May 23, 2019, in San Diego, California. On February 23, 2022, it was reported that Burke filed for divorce. Their divorce was finalized on September 19, 2022.

Burke has a condition called tendinitis. She has shared that Transcendental Meditation and therapy have helped her through many challenges, including her divorce.

See also

In Spanish: Cheryl Burke para niños