Inside Cheryl Burke’s Weight Loss Journey: Everything the “Dancing with the Stars” Alum Has Said About Her Health
- - Inside Cheryl Burke’s Weight Loss Journey: Everything the “Dancing with the Stars” Alum Has Said About Her Health
Jordana ComiterOctober 30, 2025 at 3:25 AM
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Emma McIntyre/Variety via Getty ; Frazer Harrison/Getty
Cheryl Burke attends Variety Women of Reality on Nov. 29, 2023, in Beverly Hills, Calif. ; Cheryl Burke attends the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 17, 2025, in Hollywood, Calif. -
Since leaving Dancing with the Stars in 2022, Cheryl Burke has gotten candid about her body image
In May 2025, she told PEOPLE that she lost nearly 30 to 35 lbs. in recent months
She has since credited part of her weight loss journey to her "healing"
Cheryl Burke has gotten candid about her body transformation.
The Dancing with the Stars alum began competing on the reality competition series in 2006. After winning two Mirrorball Trophies and competing in 26 seasons, she announced her departure in 2022, calling the decision "very emotional." In the years since, she has continued to comment on the show via her podcast, and returned to the ballroom on Oct. 28 as a guest judge during season 34's Halloween Night.
Nearly three years after leaving the show, Burke opened up to PEOPLE about losing about 30 to 35 lbs. in recent months, reflecting on how her body has changed as she's entered her 40s — and how her exit from the show impacted her.
"I've noticed not only my skin changing into mature skin, but also just my metabolism has changed quite a lot," she said in May 2025. "I've noticed my feet cramping randomly if I'm not moving often. Obviously, I'm not as active as I was when I was on the show, but it’s just been a whole change for me."
Burke shared that she's been focusing on living a "healthy" lifestyle, including switching up her workout routine and diet. It has led her to having "so much more energy" than ever.
Here's everything Cheryl Burke has said about her weight loss journey.
She struggled with body dysmorphia
Cheryl Burke/Instagram
Cheryl Burke in October 2024
In an October 2024 Instagram post, the retired Dancing with the Stars pro revealed that she was struggling with body dysmorphia — but stressed the importance of embracing "patience" and "compassion" along the way.
"Feeling self-conscious about my body has been an ongoing struggle, and body dysmorphia often distorts the way I see myself," she wrote. "No matter how much progress I make, there’s a part of me that constantly focuses on perceived flaws making it hard to feel confident regardless of what anyone may say or think."
Burke went on to say that it's a "daily battle" between "reality" and "the image" her mind creates, adding that she was learning to shift her "focus" toward self-acceptance.
Fitting an "aesthetic" was not one of her weight loss goals
Cheryl Burke/Instagram
Cheryl Burke in September 2024
During her May 2025 conversation with PEOPLE, Burke opened up about approaching her health differently than she did when she was younger, when she was "obsessive" over the number on the scale.
"As a dancer, we were stuck in front of mirrors constantly; it was important to stay at a certain weight, and my dance coaches were really strict," she said. "It has always been something that kind of weighed on me."
The Dancing with the Stars alum continued to say that she approached her weight loss journey by "starting from within first instead of the aesthetic of what I look like from the outside."
"My goal wasn't to lose a certain amount of weight," she added.
Burke lives an active lifestyle
Christopher Willard via Getty
Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke on 'Dancing with the Stars'
Although she may no longer compete for the Mirrorball Trophy, Burke is still focused on living an active lifestyle, as she explained to PEOPLE.
She shared that she often takes 2-mile walks with her dog, in addition to walking on the treadmill at home while working on her laptop. Burke also uses the Fitbit app, which offers different workout and mindfulness classes.
"I just like to continue to move my body and be active," she said.
She focuses on eating clean foods and practices intermittent fasting
Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty
Cheryl Burke guest judges Halloween Night on 'Dancing with the Stars'
Burke told PEOPLE that one of the primary drivers of her weight loss journey was intermittent fasting, as well as sticking to clean foods through her fresh food delivery service.
The dancer also recalled overcoming two habits: her "weakness" of skipping breakfast and eating really late at night.
Burke has spoken out about online criticism toward her body
Jerod Harris/Getty
Cheryl Burke attends Elton John AIDS Foundation's 33rd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 2, 2025, in West Hollywood, Calif.
Throughout her health journey, Burke has faced online criticism from people who have filled her comments with negative allegations. Reflecting on how it's affected her, Burke told PEOPLE that what's hurtful is seeing the comments are mainly "women attacking women."
"It’s such a shame," she said. "Just because I've lost weight aesthetically doesn't mean I don't still represent body positivity. People, for some reason, think that, oh, now that she's lost weight, what type of example is she setting?"
"These are all assumptions that people have thrown at me, as far as Ozempic, my face," Burke continued. "I've always had criticism, but what's shocking is that this is worse than when I gained weight. These are really mean and cruel messages."
The former Dancing with the Stars pro directly addressed the rumors, saying, "I just want people to know that I'm not sick and have never gone under the knife for anything. I didn't get a brow lift, I didn't get a face transplant. This is my body and this is how I feel best in it today."
She acknowledged that her weight can "fluctuate," but it's about putting her "mental health first."
"Really working on myself, being able to just love myself honestly and then grow a relationship with whatever I saw in the mirror," Burke said. "I could easily just mute my comments and all of it, but it doesn't affect me to the point where I have to do that. I honestly have no interest in really clapping back more than I already have."
Burke's body changes have been a result of her "healing"
Cheryl Burke/Instagram
Cheryl Burke in July 2025
In a May 2025 TikTok video, Burke addressed the online criticism and opened up about how her transformation is tied to her "healing."
She admitted that the "most disappointing part" is reading comments from people saying they miss the "old" version of her.
"Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cheryl," she said, referencing her guest appearance on the show. "Back in 2006, Dancing with the Stars season 2, when I was 21 years old, or three years ago, Cheryl, where I was going through a divorce. I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn’t exist anymore."
Burke went on to say that her "body" and "face" have changed over the last two decades because she has "changed."
"I’ve experienced so much trauma, divorce, and this is by no means a pity party. Sobriety, burnout, reinvention, I’ve healed, I’ve lost, I’ve grieved like anybody else," Burke continued. "And yeah, maybe it shows, but I’m not sorry for it, not one bit."
She shared a direct message to her viewers in the caption, "This is YOUR reminder: I don't owe you an explanation for my healing or for my anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
