Everything Cheryl Burke Has Said About Her Personal Healing Journey Amid Matthew Lawrence Split: ‘Feeling Where the Trauma Is Being Held’

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Everything Cheryl Burke Has Said About Her Personal Healing Journey Amid Matthew Lawrence Split: 'Feeling Where the Trauma Is Being Held'

Figuring out her future. Amid her split from Matthew Lawrence, Cheryl Burke has gotten honest about the steps she is taking to work on herself. Burke originally sparked romance rumors with the Brotherly Love alum after his older brother, Joey Lawrence, was a contestant on season 3 of Dancing With the Stars. The couple dated from 2007 to 2008 before giving their romance another try in 2017. After nearly three years of marriage, Us Weekly confirmed that Burke filed for divorce from Lawrence in February 2022. According to legal documents obtained by Us, the professional dancer listed "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split and included January 7 as their date of separation. The ABC personality addressed the major life change that same month, writing via Instagram, "I know I have always said I'm an open book with you guys, I do strive to be, and in writing this I've realized there really isn't an easy way to announce that my marriage is ending. I hope you can understand that I will not be commenting any further at this time and am asking for understanding and privacy. Thank you all for all the kind words and support you've given me." [jwplayer ErPA5dLm-zhNYySv2] At the time, a source exclusively told Us that the former couple's divorce “was not about kids," adding, "Cheryl's taking this time to focus on next steps and focus on her mental health." Matthew, who has not commented on the split publicly, previously discussed the pair's plans to become parents. "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 told Us 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." The Melissa & Joey alum also noted how "constant communication" helped make his marriage work. "When you stop that communication and when you don't try every day is when things start to slowly fall apart," the Pennsylvania native added. "I think that's really important." Scroll down for everything Burke has said about the next chapter in her life: [podcast_block]

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Everything Cheryl Burke Has Said About Her Personal Healing Journey Amid Matthew Lawrence Split: 'Feeling Where the Trauma Is Being Held'

Figuring out her future. Amid her split from Matthew Lawrence, Cheryl Burke has gotten honest about the steps she is taking to work on herself. Burke originally sparked romance rumors with the Brotherly Love alum after his older brother, Joey Lawrence, was a contestant on season 3 of Dancing With the Stars. The couple dated from 2007 to 2008 before giving their romance another try in 2017. After nearly three years of marriage, Us Weekly confirmed that Burke filed for divorce from Lawrence in February 2022. According to legal documents obtained by Us, the professional dancer listed "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split and included January 7 as their date of separation. The ABC personality addressed the major life change that same month, writing via Instagram, "I know I have always said I'm an open book with you guys, I do strive to be, and in writing this I've realized there really isn't an easy way to announce that my marriage is ending. I hope you can understand that I will not be commenting any further at this time and am asking for understanding and privacy. Thank you all for all the kind words and support you've given me." [jwplayer ErPA5dLm-zhNYySv2] At the time, a source exclusively told Us that the former couple's divorce “was not about kids," adding, "Cheryl's taking this time to focus on next steps and focus on her mental health." Matthew, who has not commented on the split publicly, previously discussed the pair's plans to become parents. "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 told Us 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." The Melissa & Joey alum also noted how "constant communication" helped make his marriage work. "When you stop that communication and when you don't try every day is when things start to slowly fall apart," the Pennsylvania native added. "I think that's really important." Scroll down for everything Burke has said about the next chapter in her life: [podcast_block]

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Time to Herself

"Taking a few days alone to focus inward, reflect and really try to feel my feelings - with my partner in crime of course ♥️," the ballroom pro wrote via Instagram in February 2022. In the social media snaps, Burke was at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego — the same place she and Lawrence tied the knot in May 2019.  

The California native later updated her followers, writing via her Instagram Story, "Some quiet time alone with this girl is just what I needed. Thank you for being my home away from home @fairmontgranddelmar."

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Putting in the Work

In March 2022, Burke credited a "somatic intelligence" program with helping "feel [her] feelings for the first time" in a while.

"It has been an interesting journey so far, to say the least. It's been scary because I'm so used to pushing through because of my athleticism and dancing in general. As a competitor, you learn to push forward even if it hurts, which means you're not listening to your actual body," she detailed in an Instagram video. "It has been very uplifting but very sad at the same time, just to really be able to take your mind out of everything and listen to your body."

For Burke, taking an "initiative" to "not judge" herself opened several doors amid her personal journey. "Feeling where the trauma is being held. A lot of past trauma has been coming up from my dad's death to the abuse that I've endured throughout the years. But I guess you could say I've never really felt my feelings before. I've just pushed through," she noted. "[It] may seem scary, but it really is worth it in the long run."

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Finding Herself

In a lengthy Instagram post, Burke addressed her plans for the future. "I've realized that whenever I am at a point in my life where I have some big emotions to process, the best thing for me to do is to spend some time alone — other than being with [my dog] Ysa of course, but I truly feel like she is a part of me, so she doesn't count," the Dance Moms alum wrote. "If I'm being honest, really feeling my feelings is new to me."

Burke also opened up about feeling "numb" most of her life when it came to her emotions.

"There's the obvious reason it's hard — that the emotions I'm experiencing right now are complicated and aren't exactly happy," she added. "But the less obvious reason is that I'm realizing I have a tendency to judge my own feelings and if I'm with other people, that magnifies. I get so focused on other people's perception of how I'm dealing with my emotions — which then in turn leads me to question if I am feeling things the 'right way.'"

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Offering an Update

"It has been a hell of a ride, I guess you could say. Transcendental meditation has really helped on the journey of feeling my feelings," Burke shared while discussing her "tough" time in a March 2022 Instagram video. "I am very vulnerable at this time, and I think that is what TM brings out in you — as well as the therapy that I am in. It definitely has opened up my heart and I now have to learn to give myself grace and not judge my feelings."

She continued: "It's just been a lot and I realized that I have thrown temper tantrums at myself like a kid. But I have also realized that for it just shows that I am growing and that I am open to feeling instead of trying to push it down."

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Gaining New Insight

"At some point in my life, I learned that if I could just control every thing and person around me, then I would be okay. The reality is that I have very little control over this life I’ve been given," Burke wrote via Instagram in April 2022. "This doesn’t mean I don’t show up and do my part. What it means is that I do my part, and I stop trying to control the outcome of a situation. Or stop trying to control how someone sees or views me."

The Dance Moms alum continued to reflect on "learning to trust in the process" of time. "That each experience - rewarding or challenging - is placed in my life for a reason. And every experience is coming with valuable lessons to prepare me for the next thing," she added. "By learning to accept and respond to the situations that happen around me, I’m able to feel so much more peace in my everyday life."

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'Ups and Downs'

In May 2022, Burke told Extra that she's still processing a lot of feelings about the divorce. "I’m not proud of it, it’s a s–t show," she explained. "My emotions are constantly up and down. I’m sad every morning I wake up, I am sad every time I go to bed at night. It’s really nothing to hide here as far as, like, divorce sucks. I don’t recommend it, but at the end of the day, you know, it’s not like we didn’t try, and I know we gave it a good shot."

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Offering Advice

In May 2022, Burke got candid about the process of ending a relationship. "It is lonely and if anyone else is like me out there that just, you know, tend to just crawl into their shell like I do, at least you know that you're just not alone and through the process because it is painful," she explained on the Tamron Hall show. "It is like a death. It is a death, right? And there's no way and there's no specific way on how to grieve."

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Kicking Him Out?

Burke seemingly alleged that she had kicked Lawrence out of their shared house before filing for divorce.

“Did you sleep with him or just kiss him,” she lip-synced in a September 2022 TikTok video, playing a scene from Modern Love in the background.

In addition to mouthing along with the Prime Video scene, Burke added captions that seemingly referred to her relationship. “Kick him out of my house ✅, Hire divorce attorney ✅ [and] file for divorce ✅,” she wrote, alongside “Self Respect,” “Peace out” and “Boundaries” hashtags.

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Into the New Year

"I made it through the year that did everything it could to try and break me, and there were a lot of moments where I thought I would break, but here I AM. 2022 was a year filled with the most ups, downs & heartbreak (if I’m being honest) that I have ever experienced, but I wouldn’t be who or where I am today without those life experiences," Burke wrote via Instagram in January 2023. "I’m eager to move forward, to no longer be defined by my past, and SO ready to start the next chapter of my life. 2023, LET’S SHOW ‘EM HOW IT’S DONE! 🤍."

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Reflecting on Her Progress

"I’m getting a lot of questions about how I’ve been doing lately and what’s been going on, so wanted to check in with you all. If I could describe how I feel in one word I honestly couldn’t," Burke wrote via Instagram in January 2023. "Each day presents its own bliss but also its own challenges."

She added: "There are some days where I wake up dominated by my overwhelming feelings of anxiety, allowing the outside world to define my identity. Then there are moments when I feel peace and ease within my soul, which has led me to learn how to connect with my true essence and purpose in life — which will forever be something I continue to discover for as long as I live."

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Moving Past 'Trauma'

Burke noted in March 2023 that "there's all this trauma" that comes with moving on after a divorce. She went on to share her thoughts on Lawrence's relationship with TLC's Chilli after he confessed that he was "trying" to have a baby with his girlfriend.

"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," she said on "The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever With Chris Harrison."

The dancer later joked that she has been avoiding searching herself on the internet, saying, "What you don't know doesn't hurt you. ... This has been a huge year of transitioning for me and the biggest breakup for me was with [DWTS], to be honest."

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Looking for the 'Right Guy'

Burke shared an update on her post-split dating life with E! News in March 2023. "I'm not on a dating app, let's put it that way," she explained, noting that she'd be open to pursuing a relationship "if the right guy comes along."

Burke went on to describe her hopes for her possible next romance. "As I've changed, the characteristics of somebody I'd be interested in has changed," she said. "It's about [finding] somebody who wants to grow and evolve, because without it life can be very stagnant, and I'm not about to live that again."