The 'Dancing With the Stars' pro also gives advice to anyone looking to end a relationship.
Cheryl Burke is giving her first TV interview since her split from husband Matthew Lawrence. In February, the Dancing With the Stars pro and the 42-year-old actor announced that they were separating after three years of marriage, and Burke explains her decision to go public about their split.
"If I'm going to be open, then I have to be open and it's better that I say it than some rumors starting about," she says on Wednesday's episode of Tamron Hall, adding, "It's like, it's really nobody's business and, you know, as far as what happened, I'm never going to say anything as far as that goes. ...It's not about the gossip behind my divorce. It's about growth. It's about, you know, what I can do to be a better woman and just try to, you know, continue to evolve and wanting to learn and step out of my comfort zone really."
Though she's now single, Burke is not actively dating just yet. "I have social phobia and I prefer to be in my home. I actually don't love going out, especially with my sobriety," she admits. "...I'm just learning about all of this and interaction and like, the new way of dating, you have to swipe left. I'm just like, ‘I really can't wrap my head around this whole thing.’”
At this time in her life, Burke tells Hall that what she's "trying to do is just love myself first."
The 38-year-old Pretty Messed Up podcast host does have some advice for those who may also be looking to end a relationship. "It is lonely and if anyone else is like me out there that just, you know, tend to just crawl into their shell like I do, at least you know that you're just not alone and through the process because it is painful," Burke shares. "It is like a death. It is a death, right? And there's no way and there's no specific way on how to grieve. Everyone grieves differently and I'm just really new at this and I'm open to any advice as well and I hope that the listeners want to hold my hand through this journey of just self-discovery."
As for whether she's still friendly with Lawrence, Burke says, "I mean, he will always have a special place in my heart for sure. I mean, I will, I have so much love for him and his family forever."
Burke also stresses how important it was for her and Lawrence to go through therapy throughout their relationship, even before they were married. "I think it's very important because emotions sometimes and feelings can get in the way and can get maybe misconstrued and so I'm a huge advocate for that," she says. "We definitely did try it, people evolve and people grow and sometimes they grow together and sometimes, you know, you unfortunately grow apart."
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