Yahoo News Cheryl Burke reveals her 3 “Dancing With the Stars” showmances
"Dancing, especially ballroom, is an intimate contact sport."
Cheryl Burke is clearing the air about romance rumors with past Dancing With the Stars partners.
The pro dancer, who departed the dance competition series in 2022 after 26 seasons, addressed the headlines that have long followed her about her romantic history with her celebrity partners. In the latest episode of Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' podcast Amy and T.J., Burke confirmed that, yes, she's had romances with past partners.
Three, to be exact — one of which was with former football player and season 10 contestant Chad Ochocinco Johnson. “Dancing, especially ballroom, is an intimate contact sport," Burke said. "And it happens. I'm not going to say who, but I've had my own showmances, you know. It happened." As for whether the relationships continued outside of work, “That was the problem," Burke said. "Because it's seven days a week."
Burke conceded, "There's a lot of great relationships that [come from the show]. People got married from the show, right? But it's seven days a week. You are consumed with each other. . . also we've seen their insecurities. They're vulnerable, and especially as a professional woman who was a ballroom dancer teaching, let's say the athlete, for example, who feels like this macho [person], all of a sudden has to be like, 'I don't know if I can shift.'"
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Cheryl BurkeShe added, "In order to be successful on Dancing with the Stars, you have to be ready to be vulnerable. You gotta feel stupid.”
Though the dancer initially remained mum on the identities of the dancers she was involved with, she later confirmed a romance with Johnson, who had previously professed his love for Burke on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But Burke said the romances boiled down to lust. "It's not love," she told Robach and Holmes.
Of the headlines that followed her about her showmances, “I was that girl," Burke said. "I was definitely labeled as that woman. . . I was labeled as this party girl. I was always on TMZ."
Burke joined the long-running series in 2006, during season 2, when she was just 21 years old. She won seasons 2 and 3 alongside celebrity dance partners Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith, respectively. Burke has also been vocal about her desire to return as a judge following Len Goodman's retirement.
"They are very well aware that I want that seat," Burke told Variety. "It's important, for me at least, to feel like, okay, let's grow together as a brand and also for me as a person. If that's not with the show, then I'm moving forward and I'm moving on."
Listen to her interview with Robach and Holmes below.
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