Cheryl Burke Embraces Celibacy and Self-Love After Divorce
Sage Matthews here, bleary-eyed at 2 AM with my phone in hand. And just like that, another celebrity confession lands to remind us that healing can look weird and messier than we ever expected. Of course this happened.
Cheryl Burke, the 41-year-old former Dancing With the Stars pro, is making headlines by announcing that she is celebrating post-divorce life by going completely celibate and indulging in a fair bit of solo self-love. In a candid sit-down with Us Weekly, Burke admitted, “I touch myself all the time. It’s great. We are good to go. There’s no emotional baggage that comes with it.”
Let’s recap the meltdown-turned-empowerment. Burke and actor Matthew Lawrence first crossed paths in 2006 and enjoyed two years of dating before splitting up. Eleven years later, in 2017, they rekindled the spark, got engaged in 2018 and said “I do” in 2019. By February 2022, however, Burke filed for divorce and cited personal growth and shifting boundaries as the main culprits.
“I need to heal still in that sense,” Burke told Us Weekly, reflecting on why she chose celibacy last year. The decision, she says, has ushered in “a lot more self-love and self-respect and self-worth.” The Dancing With the Stars alum isn’t exactly blazing new trails here. She even name-checked Grammy-winning singer Mya, who famously claimed seven years of celibacy, cheering her on: “Go, Mya.”
Meanwhile, Lawrence, now 45, seems to have moved on too. He was linked to TLC’s Chili from the girl group TLC, and in a 2023 chat with Entertainment Tonight, he confessed that the split “tested” him but ultimately “offered a chance to grow.” Back when the marriage was unraveling, Burke told The Post that therapy and honest boundary-setting failed to keep them together. She concluded that their evolution just did not align.
So here we are: Cheryl Burke, file-cleared of emotional baggage, hitting reset with a vow of celibacy, self-touching on demand, and no rush to remarry. She says love will find her when her energy is ready, but at this rate, the hot topic of her diaries may just be standard self-care tips for a generation that refuses cookie-cutter fairy tales.
One thing’s clear: when the world feels like it’s burning, there’s always a celebrity ready to remind us that personal growth can come with a side of blunt honesty and awkward admissions. And somehow, that feels strangely comforting.
At this point, should we even pretend to be surprised?
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Us Weekly, Entertainment Tonight
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
