Cheryl Burke Opens Up About Dating Plans and Her Celibacy Streak Ahead of 42
Approaching 42, former Dancing With the Stars competitor Cheryl Burke says her love life is strictly self-care: she’s embracing celibacy and dating herself—and it’s going great.
Cheryl Burke is not swiping, not searching, and very much fine with that. Ahead of turning 42, the former Dancing With the Stars pro gave a surprisingly candid update on where her love life stands now — and why she is in no rush to change it — plus a little TV-casting wish list for DWTS.
Where Cheryl is at right now
Speaking with Us Weekly on Friday, May 1, at Calamigos Ranch Resort & Spa during a celebration of the property’s new Leading Hotels of the World accreditation, Burke, 41, said she’s happily single and focusing on herself. She is not looking, and she definitely is not downloading a dating app. In her words, she stares at her phone enough as it is — adding a swipe habit would just have her glued to the screen even more. Honestly, hard to argue with that one.
'I am dating myself, and so far it’s going too good.'
The celibacy choice, and why she’s sticking with it
Burke has been voluntarily celibate since her 2022 divorce from Matthew Lawrence, and she says that commitment is still rock solid. She called it a clear positive for her own self-respect and overall quality of life, and she frames it as personal power — something she feels she needed long before now. Notably, she has said she has zero interest in going on dates and has not gone on one in over a year.
- Met Matthew Lawrence in 2006
- Started dating in 2007
- Broke up in 2008
- Reconnected in 2017
- Engaged in 2018
- Married in May 2019
- Divorced in 2022
Back in an August 2025 Us Weekly cover story, Burke said she learned the hard way that you can’t buy love, and that stepping away from dating was a sign she still needed to heal. As for intimacy, she was blunt there too: she’s perfectly fine handling that on her own — no strings, no emotional fallout.
Still a DWTS fan, with notes
Burke may have exited DWTS in November 2022 after 26 seasons, but she’s still very much paying attention. She wants the show to broaden its definition of celebrity and bring in more creators and voices outside the usual lanes — even tossing out mental health figures as an example. Her specific pitch: let Jay Shetty try shaking it on the ballroom floor. Overall, she thinks the series is in a good groove right now and whatever they’re doing is clearly working.
On politicians in the ballroom
After DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy said he’d prefer to see fewer politicians competing, Burke co-signed the sentiment. Her take: the show is meant to feel good, and politics are touchy at the moment — best to keep that out of the glitter and spray tan.