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Cheryl Burke has been competing on Dancing With the Stars for a long time. Now, thanks to a recent interview, some fans think Burke could be retiring her ballroom dance shoes sooner rather than later.

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

Cheryl Burke has a long history on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ 

Burke has been competing on Dancing With the Stars since the show’s second season. When Burke’s contract was up in season 19, she decided to take a brief break from competing. Soon enough, Burke returned to the ballroom for season 23. Then, she took season 24 off, but returned once again for season 25. She is competing with Backstreet Boy AJ McLean during DWTS Season 29. 

Cheryl Burke might retire from ‘DWTS’ soon

Burke has sustained many injuries throughout her career — including a hit to her head earlier this season. Regardless, she has persevered on the dance floor. Still, Burke admitted to toying with thoughts of retirement. 

“My hips don’t lie, and I’m starting to get tendonitis,” the two-time Mirror Ball Champion said on the Chicks in the Office podcast. “For a woman, as far as ballroom dancing competitively goes, normally in their 30s [they retire].” As a 36-year-old competitive dancer, Burke feels it might be time to hang up her dance shoes. 

In addition to her age, Burke doesn’t want her abilities as a choreographer to go stale. 

“I 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 explained. “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 would like to become a judge on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ one day 

As a seasoned ballroom dancer, Burke would make a great addition to the judges’ panel on Dancing With the Stars. 

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“It would be really great for me just to use my mouth and not my body,” she said on the podcast. Burke thinks her expertise would be a most welcome addition to the thoughts of Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. 

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

Cheryl Burke also wants to start a family of her own

Burke has been married to actor Matthew Lawrence since May 2019. If she were to retire from Dancing With the Stars, having a baby is on Burke’s to-do list. 

“I definitely want to be a mom,” Burke told Us Weekly in September 2018. “I just don’t know about this dance world.” At the time, Burke was unsure about raising her child in the world of ballroom dance.

“It’s a lot of pressure, and they have to grow up way too fast,” she added. “That’s what I did. I don’t want them to grow up fast — I want them to stay kids forever.” Whether or not she still feels that way remains unclear. 

At this time, Burke’s retirement is still up in the air, too. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for the latest on Burke’s Dancing With the Stars career. 

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