At her own pace. Cheryl Burke discussed why she is in no rush when it comes to motherhood — just weeks after ex-husband Matthew Lawrence made comments about wanting to start a family with TLC’s Chilli.
“I may not be at a place in my life where I am ready for kids, but I have chosen to take initiative to learn about my reproductive health,” Burke, 38, captioned a sponsored Instagram post on Thursday, March 30. “I’ve decided to take the Modern Fertility at home test & you should too!”
The former Dancing With the Stars pro continued: “This test gave me peace of mind in knowing that I can be on my own timeline when it comes to having kids. It also gave me insight into potential outcomes for egg freezing and IVF — and as you know I’ve been thinking about freezing my eggs to give me even more reaassurance [SIC]. Knowledge is truly power when it comes to our bodies and fertility hormone health.”
Burke joins her ex-husband, 43, in getting candid about parenthood plans. Earlier this month, Lawrence said he was excited to take the next step with his girlfriend, 52.
“That’s the game plan [to have kids]. That’s what we’re trying to do,” the actor revealed to Entertainment Tonight on March 3. “My life is in complete bloom right now. I get to spend time with an amazing woman like Chilli. I’ve never gotten to be able to experience that kind of relationship before. She’s really, really special.”
The Boy Meets World alum later clarified that he didn’t mean to put “pressure” on the singer, telling E! News, “[My brother] Joe and I were commiserating about this plan that we had to have children together … when we were growing up. And I missed the first go around and now he’s starting a new family and I was thinking, ‘Man, it’d be great if we could do it again, when I didn’t have the chance to raise a family together.’ So that’s what I meant by that.”
Lawrence went on to praise how Chilli, whose real name is Rozonda Thomas, raised her son Tron, 25, with ex Dallas Austin. “She’s an amazing person,” he continued. “She’s already a mother, she has an incredible son. I respect so much as to how she’s raised him. She’d be an incredible mother again, and I’d be incredibly lucky but that’s way in the future.”
The “No Scrubs” artist also offered more context about where she and Lawrence stand on having kids “First of all, we’re not currently trying to have a child,” she shared with E! News on Monday, March 27. “We’re not married yet so we’re just very happy and growing in our relationship.”
Burke, for her part, showed her support for the Pennsylvania native following their split.
“He comes from a huge family and there were definitely conversations [about it when we were together],” she shared on the “Most Dramatic Podcast Ever” with Chris Harrison on March 9. “There were discussions about freezing my eggs. I really do wish him well. … I really, truly hope he can actually have a kid with Chilli. I think that’s amazing. I think he’s wanted that.”
Lawrence’s relationship with Chilli marks his first public romance after Burke. The former couple started dating in 2007 when Matthew’s older brother, Joey Lawrence, appeared as a contestant on season 3 of Dancing With the Stars. One year later, Burke and Matthew called it quits before rekindling their romance in 2017.
The choreographer officially filed for divorce in January 2022 and it was finalized eight months later.
Ahead of their breakup, Lawrence hinted that the former couple were holding off on expanding their brood. “We’re just waiting to see what happens because I think we were going to move, we were going to start that next journey,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2020. “But everything’s a little bit on pause right now. When this starts to clear out, I think we’ll have a better view or understanding.”
Amid the major life change, Burke has offered a glimpse at the progress she made with her own personal goals.
“I need to believe and love myself enough to really know that I deserve a good guy,” she explained to Us in May 2022. “This is just untraining my brain. I need to not be like, ‘Why do I attract certain men?’ Versus, like, ‘Why do certain men disgust me?’ It’s being proactive in trying to stay present and conscious and know my self-worth. And a lot of that is still in the works.”
