Cheryl Burke is setting the record straight and calling out the body-shamers who have been relentlessly speculating about her appearance.
In a TikTok video shared on Sunday, May 18, the Dancing With the Stars pro responded to the rumors circulating about her health and looks.
“Let’s address the elephant in the comments section,” Burke, 41, started off her “Get Unready With Me” video on the app. “I am not on Ozempic. I am not sick. I didn’t get a face transplant, and I didn’t get a brow lift.” She expressed her frustration with the level of projection happening online, calling it “wild” and reminding people that she is a human being, not an object for discussion.
Burke also took aim at those who had compared her current appearance to earlier versions of herself, saying that some people are writing comments like, “We miss the ‘old Cheryl’ from Suite Life of Zack and Cody’ or ‘Dancing With the Stars season 2.” She made it clear that that version of her no longer exists, emphasizing how exhausting and cruel the assumptions about her are, especially coming from other women. “The accusations are completely cruel and the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women is what is so shocking and hurtful.”
Burke opened up about the personal struggles she’s faced, including divorce, trauma, and sobriety. “I have experienced so much trauma, divorce, sobriety, burn out and reinvention. This is by no means a pity party. I have healed, I have lost and I have grieved like anybody else. Maybe it shows,” she admitted. Despite the challenges, she added, “I am not sorry for it. Not one bit.”
In a final message, Burke stated that she was no longer willing to tolerate speculation. “If you are here to speculate, compare to demand answers that you are not entitled to, then you are not welcome in this space that I have created.” she concluded. She continued in her caption, writing, “I’m not on Ozempic. I’m not sick. I didn’t get ‘a new face. Stop dissecting women’s bodies like they belong to you. This is YOUR reminder: I don’t owe you an explanation for my healing or for anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it.”
It’s safe to say fans had her back in the comments section.
“If people are talking it means you’re doing something right and they’re just jealous! Keep shining,” one fan encouraged.
Another theorized, “I think people feel like they ‘know’ you and so to see you look different feels like a stranger.”
A third said, “Thank you for speaking up to advocate for yourself. The public can be so mean.”
If one thing is for sure, Burke’s journey is hers alone, and it looks like she has a bunch of people in her corner.
