Dancing With The Stars’ Cheryl Burke Says Personal Demons Made Her Feel Disgusting

Cheryl Burke made a name for herself in Dancing With the Stars, where she was the first female professional to win the show and the first professional to win twice and consecutively. Burked missed out on last month’s tapings for the show as she had tested positive for COVID-19.

Cheryl Burke also had to battle her own demons, notably her alcohol addiction which took a toll on her wellbeing. While speaking to Elizabeth Vargas on the Heart of the Matter podcast, Cheryl Burke revealed that drinking every day was her way of living in “survival mode”, and admitted she was “definitely an alcoholic”.

“I was a ballroom-by-day type girl and then party- or club-goer at night — for 10 years in a row. I am definitely an alcoholic and addict, yes. One hundred percent.”

Cheryl Burke then revealed that she started drinking alcohol at the age of 21. After moving to Los Angeles, she started drinking heavily. She admitted she was a high functioning alcoholic.

“I was a functioning drunk for sure.”

The dancer finally decided to leave alcoholism for good. She added that there was no particular moment that made her decide to quit, but instead the “feeling of just emptiness, of feeling there’s no purpose,” became the dancer’s very own version of “crashing and burning.”

“I felt disgusting. There was nothing there. I had no identity.”

On top of that, she started having allergic reactions to alcohol back in 2018. All of these led to her dropping alcohol for good. She is now three years sober and her fans and close ones couldn’t be more proud of her.

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