She’s already a pro at this! Cheryl Burke spoke out about joining Dance Moms and replacing the series’ longtime lead, Abby Lee Miller, who abruptly quit earlier this week. (Watch what Miller had to say about Burke taking over in the clip above.)
The Dancing With the Stars champ, 32, shared her excitement over the new gig on Thursday, March 30. “Do I like what I see? We got this. #winnersneverquit #dancemoms,” she captioned an Instagram pic of herself holding a notebook in the studio.
Burke also shared a throwback pic of herself from a dance competition. “I grew up with a tiger mom! I know how to motivate these girls from within,” she wrote. “We’re here to succeed and create together. #dancemoms #mymomsetthetigermombar #tbt.”
Miller, 50, announced on Monday, March 27, that she was exiting the Lifetime show after seven seasons. She claimed that she was “manipulated, disrespected, and used — day in and day out by men who never took a dance lesson in their lives.” The dance instructor also alleged that the show refused to give her creative credit for her award-winning routines, theme and costumes.
The Abby Lee Dance Company founder later revealed her feelings about her replacement in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I think that’s great,” she said of Burke snagging the spot. “I only met her once at a housewarming party a couple weeks ago. I’m glad that someone who has worked on a network show for as long as she has on Dancing With the Stars is going to see what I’ve been working with for seven years.”
Miller, who is currently embattled in a fraud case, added that she thinks Burke may face challenges with a limited budget. “Wait until Cheryl Burke deals with [no costume budget],” she told the outlet. “At Dancing With the Stars, they have two floors — and entire building of seamstresses sewing, rhinestoning, fringe — she’s going to have to run downtown to [L.A. flee market] Santee Alley and buy something off the street in her own car, at 4:30 in rush hour traffic after we wrap, when everything is closing, because that’s what I did for six years.”
