The 'Dancing With the Stars' pro is opening up to fans following the news of her split from husband Matthew Lawrence.
Cheryl Burke is opening up about her efforts to get in touch with her emotions and embrace her feelings following her split from Matthew Lawrence.
The Dancing With the Stars pro took to Instagram on Thursday to share a video with her fans and followers about how she's "been really trying to feel my feelings for the first time."
According to Burke, she's been reading up on different philosophies and schools of thought regarding the power of mindfulness and self-reflection, but that it hasn't been an easy road.
"It has been an interesting journey so far, to say the least," Burke, 37, shared. "It's been scary, because I'm so used to pushing through, because of my athleticism and dancing in general. And as a competitor, you learn to push forward, even if it hurts. Which means you're not listening to your actual body."
"My intention has been to really try and feel my feelings and, more importantly, not judge my feelings while I'm feeling them," she continued, adding that the experience and her efforts have been "very uplifting, but very sad at the same time."
She's appreciated how the process allows one to "take your mind out everything and just listen to your body. Feeling where the trauma is being held."
"A lot of past trauma has been coming up, from my dad's death to the abuse that I've endured throughout the years," Burke shared.
Burke has long been open and vocal about her experiences with abuse in past relationships, which she's spoken about in interviews and videos she's posted on line. Burke said in 2020 that the cycle of abusive relationships she was in came to an end in large part when she began dating Lawrence.
Burke concluded her video on Thursday by encouraging people who are interested in mindfulness and consciously connecting to their feelings to do so, even if they feel intimidated by the process.
"It may seem scary, but it really is worth it in the long run," Burke shared.
According to court docs, obtained by ET, Burke filed for divorce from the Boy Meets World actor at a Los Angeles courthouse on Feb. 18.
In the docs, Burke listed their date of separation as Jan. 7, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
The pro dancer's filing also indicates that she is not seeking any spousal support from Lawrence and that the couple has a prenuptial agreement in place, which was established ahead of their wedding in May of 2019.
While the split may have come as a surprise to many, a source told ET that the couple have been "having issues for a while."
"Cheryl and Matthew have been having issues for a while. Cheryl has been leaning on her close girlfriends and trying to stay busy and go out and spend time with loved ones," the source shared.
A second source told ET that the pair's divorce was sadly, "a long time coming," with the source adding, "they have a lot of history together, and while they hoped this time around would be different, it proved otherwise." The source also shared that "they have been living separate lives for a couple months now."
Burke and Lawrence first met in 2006 when the 42-year-old actor's brother, Joey Lawrence, appeared on DWTS. They started dating in 2007 and broke up in 2008 before reuniting in 2017. Lawrence proposed to Burke in 2018 on the dancer's 34th birthday. The couple had a short engagement, tying the knot just a year later in San Diego.
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