‘Dancing With the Stars’: Everything We Know About Cheryl Burke’s Final Dance and the Real Reason She’s Leaving
Dancing with the Stars fans will bid a bittersweet goodbye to Cheryl Burke during the season finale episode of the Disney+ series. She is the longest-tenured female pro, performing in 26 out of 31 seasons. However, tonight, she will take her final ballroom bow with a dance that will have a special meaning for fans. Here’s everything we know about Cheryl’s final performance and why she’s leaving Dancing with the Stars.
Cheryl Burke is the most seasoned female pro in ‘DWTS’ history
Burke joined Dancing with the Stars in 2006 as a pro dancer. She won a mirrorball trophy during the series’ second season alongside 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey. The following season, she claimed back-to-back victories with NFL star Emmett Smith.
Burke has landed a coveted spot in the Dancing with the Stars finale six times, most recently coming in third in season 30 with Cody Rigsby. She danced with ABC New York Meteorologist Sam Champion for her final season. The judges eliminated the pair in week four after they landed alongside Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater in the bottom two.
Cheryl Burke will perform her final ballroom dance tonight; here’s what we know
Burke revealed details of her final Dancing with the Stars performance and why she was leaving on Instagram. She posted a photograph wearing a stunning red ballgown and striking a pose similar to that of the Latin style of ballroom dance, her specialty as a former competitor.
She wrote, “I am sitting here full of so many conflicting emotions about the words I am about to write.” Cheryl announced that the finale would be her last dance as a pro on the series that launched her entertainment career. She revealed, “this has been one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life, and I am also confident that it is the right one.”
Cheryl called the show and the people who became her “second family.” As a pro, she’s shared her “highest highs and some of my lowest lows.” However, Cheryl revealed the time feels right to “begin the next phase of my career.”
For her final dance, Cheryl will perform alongside Pasha Pashkov and Louis Van Amstel. Her ballroom farewell is “dedicated to all of you who have supported me, loved me even if you didn’t know me, and have been such a huge part of my life, growth, and story.” The dancer admitted she would be holding back tears as she took to the floor one last time.
The real reason she’s leaving and what’s next
In the caption of her Instagram post, Cheryl wrote that she is leaving to challenge herself and continue her personal growth and evolution.
Cheryl wrote she’s excited about expanding her commitment to mental health advocacy, focusing on her newfound love for podcasting [she hosts Burke in the Game for iHeart Radio]. The dance pro is ready to face the “uncertainty” of what life offers and says that it’s “scary as s***.”
Cheryl concluded her post by saying she has a “few things up my sleeves, so don’t worry. This [DWTS] has truly been the experience of a lifetime. I’m looking forward to this next chapter of my career, but man, will this one be hard to beat!”
You can watch Cheryl Burke’s final performance as a Dancing with the Stars pro during the season 31 finale. The episode streams beginning at 8 p.m. EST on Disney+.
