Everything Cheryl Burke Has Said About Choosing Celibacy After Divorce

"Choosing celibacy allows me to heal from past relationship traumas," she wrote on Threads in August

Cheryl Burke is an open book!

The former Dancing with the Stars pro has been open about her celibacy journey since she first separated from Matthew Lawrence in early 2022. Through time, Burke said she is certain the decision was the right one for her.

“I’m choosing me for the first time in my life,” she said in an Instagram Reel in August.

Here is everything she has said about celibacy over the years.

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She Has Chosen to Be Celibate for Three Years

In her reel, Burke explained that it is entirely “a choice” for her to be celibate and single. On Aug. 5, she took to Instagram to share that it had been three years since she started the journey.

“Embracing 40, single, and three years of celibacy with confidence and clarity,” she wrote. “This journey is about self-love, growth, and living life on my terms…🙏🏼.”

The video she posted showed her judgmentally looking around with the popular TikTok audio of blinking alongside the caption: “When I mention that I’ve been single and celibate for 3 years…”

Burke shared that people are often surprised to find out that she makes the active decision every day not to have sex or be in a relationship in a Sept. 19 interview with Us Weekly.

“I’ll never forget being interviewed by somebody recently and they’re like, ‘Well, you seem really proud to be single,’ as if it was not like, ‘Are you sure you’re proud?’” she remembered. “It’s interesting.”

Related: Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Celibacy

Celibacy Has Helped Her Heal

Since finalizing her divorce in 2022, Burke has been grieving her marriage and facing her trauma. She said on Threads on Aug. 4 that she wouldn’t be able to truly find herself without celibacy.

”Choosing celibacy allows me to heal from past relationship traumas, commit to personal growth, and prioritize self-respect 🙏🏼,” she wrote.

Admitting that she hasn’t spoken much about the decision or why she made it, Burke said it has been a personal journey she is on. She told Us Weekly that after spending so much time trying not to be single, she was ready to face her fears.

“I’ve definitely built a lot more self-love and self-respect and self-worth,” she said. “I was a serial dater, so I never was ever, ever single. The thought of living alone or being alone was just not an option. It was just never going to happen in my world.”

“I love that I’ve grown so much and that I’m doing it consciously and with an intention,” she added.

She Doesn't Date

A self-professed “serial dater,” Burke told Us Weekly that she is still not looking to date after three years on her own.

“Never say never, but I have no plans of joining a dating app, and nor do I ever think or see myself looking,” she said. “Even though I need to be better at leaving my house, I still live like a hermit sometimes, but I think it will happen when it happens. When my energy shifts, then I know if it does happen, I’m ready. I’m not in a rush.”

Not needing a man is something Burke said she has grown to be proud of. However, that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be able to get one if she wanted to, which is something she clarified in an Instagram Reel after a follower commented on her Threads post that “beautiful women have trouble finding quality men.”

“I'm not out there looking for guys,” Burke explained. “I know I'm pretty, I know I have a lot to offer. Because I'm choosing celibacy does not equal that I cannot find a man.”

She Hopes to Inspire Others

The reason Burke decided to share her journey was for the sake of others, she said in the Instagram Reel. Realizing that she felt comfort when singer Mýa revealed she was seven years celibate in July.

“I am so grateful that she voiced this because I literally felt like I was the only person choosing celibacy, especially in the entertainment industry,” Burke said. “When you voice something, it takes the shame away.”

“Part of my work right now is to not suffer in silence because I want to make at least one person feel like they’re not alone, because it is lonely,” she added.

Related: Cheryl Burke Shares Her Advice for Celebrities Considering Dancing with the Stars: 'Be Single'

She joked with Us Weekly that while she has been met with positive responses to her journey, many are confused by it.

“They’re just like, ‘What?’” Burke said. “As if I’m speaking a different language completely. Which is so interesting. There is a little bit of, initially, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, wait, should I be like?’ But no! Why?”

“I am on that Mýa train. Go, Mýa.”

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