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Cheryl Burke has been competing on Dancing With the Stars since season 2. Now, Burke is contemplating retiring from the show. Here’s what Burke plans to do if and when she does retire from her career on DWTS.

AJ McLean and Cheryl Burke
AJ McLean and Cheryl Burke | Eric McCandless via Getty Images

Cheryl Burke has competed on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for more than 20 seasons 

Burke is a well-known Dancing With the Stars pro. She has been competing for the Mirror Ball since season 2. When Burke’s contract was up in season 19, she took a brief break from the show and returned for season 23. When season 24 rolled around, Burke once again took a season off. 

She came back to compete in season 25 and has returned for every season since. This year for the 29th seasons of DWTS, Burke is competing with Backstreet Boy AJ McLean. It’s unclear at this time, but season 29 might be Burke’s last one.  

Cheryl Burke is considering retirement 

Recently, Burke has opened up about retiring from Dancing With the Stars.

“My hips don’t lie, and I’m starting to get tendonitis,” the two-time Mirror Ball Champion explained on the Chicks in the Office podcast. Throughout her career, Burke has persevered through several injuries. Despite her drive to succeed, Burke says dancers her age — she is 36-year-old — don’t normally continue competing. 

“For a woman, as far as ballroom dancing competitively goes, normally in their 30s [they retire],” she added. What’s more, Burke doesn’t want her choreography to go stale. 

“I also don’t want to be like that oldie that’s like, ‘Oh, here comes Cheryl doing the same choreography, just going slow but in her head, she thinks she’s going that fast,’” Burke said. “I don’t want to be a dancer and have my partner having to be like, ‘Can’t lift.’ There’s a time and a place for it all.”

Cheryl Burke retiring doesn’t mean she’s done with ‘DWTS’

Should Burke make the decision to retire from ballroom dancing, that doesn’t mean she’s done with Dancing With the Stars entirely. Burke would consider becoming a judge on the show. 

“It would be really great for me just to use my mouth and not my body,” she said during the podcast. Burke’s expertise would be a most welcome addition to the opinions of Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, who currently sit on the judges’ panel.

“Four judges? It’s fine!” she exclaimed. “Just give us each five seconds.”

Cheryl Burke wants to start a family outside the world of dance

Outside of the show, Burke is married to her loving husband, actor Matthew Lawrence. The two tied the knot in May 2019. When Burke retires, she wants to start a family. “I definitely want to be a mom,” Burke told Us Weekly in September 2018. 

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‘DWTS’: Matthew Lawrence Shares How the Show Has Impacted His Marriage to Cheryl Burke

Despite Burke’s long career in dance, she doesn’t want to raise her child to be a dancer. “I just don’t know about this dance world,” she explained. “It’s a lot of pressure, and they have to grow up way too fast. That’s what I did. I don’t want them to grow up fast — I want them to stay kids forever.”

Whether or not Burke still feels the same about raising dancer babies is unclear, as are her retirement plans. 

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