Cheryl Burke is no longer interested in meeting other people’s expectations—and she’s making that crystal clear.

The former Dancing With the Stars professional has spent years hearing comparisons between the woman she is today and the version of herself viewers first met during the show’s early seasons. Now, in a candid personal essay, Burke is opening up about the painful reality behind those nostalgic comments while embracing the healthier life she has built.

Looking back on her 2006 debut on Dancing With the Stars, Burke admitted she never expected fame to become part of her journey. She originally believed she would appear for just one season before returning to competitive dancing. Instead, after winning back-to-back seasons, she quickly became one of the show’s breakout stars—and soon found herself under relentless public scrutiny.

Burke revealed that the intense attention took a heavy toll on her mental health, leading her to develop body dysmorphia, something she says she has continued to work through with therapy over the years.

She also reflected honestly on the lifestyle she was living during the height of her television fame. According to Burke, alcohol had become a nightly routine, and she often relied on late-night Del Taco meals to help offset the drinking.

“I was the alcoholic Cheryl back then, the party girl barely surviving some of those live shows,” she wrote. Burke explained that many of the photographs fans now praise as her “best” were actually taken while she was hungover, making the constant requests for her to return to that version of herself especially painful.

Today, at 42, Burke says her life looks completely different. She is sober, divorced, and, most importantly, comfortable with the person she has become.

The former dancer also addressed the criticism surrounding changes in her appearance, noting that many people fail to understand how dramatically the body changes after stepping away from a lifetime of professional dance training.

Burke explained that after spending years dancing seven days a week, losing muscle mass was a natural part of no longer performing at that level. Despite that reality, she says internet criticism has only intensified, with even physicians posting viral videos analyzing changes in her appearance.

Rather than allowing those comments to define her, Burke delivered a direct message to anyone longing for the past.

“If you miss the old Cheryl Burke,” she wrote, “please unfollow. I’m not her anymore.”

For Burke, the statement isn’t about rejecting her past—it’s about refusing to glorify a chapter of her life marked by addiction, unhealthy habits, and emotional struggles. Instead, she’s choosing authenticity, recovery, and self-acceptance over living up to an image that never reflected how she truly felt.