Everything Cheryl Burke Has Said About Her Sobriety Journey: ‘I’m Walking on a Really Tight Rope’

Burke reflected on her sobriety journey in a heartfelt Instagram post in October 2022, confessing, “I’ve spent most of my life looking through a glass box that was and still is a part of my life at times. Especially when I’m not consciously aware.”

She explained: “However, this wasn’t always a bad thing — it kept me alive and safe in times of desperate need but I’ve come to realize that continuing to put myself in that box only brought more loneliness, pain and fear.”

The athlete recalled using her addiction to numb her fears, but explained that since becoming sober, she has learned to lean into the fear. “Four years ago when I decided to stop drinking, I’m realizing I’m left with peeling back layers, which has ultimately made me get closer to the core of my being, my authentic self,” she continued. “What comes with choosing this path though, is that I’m living with fears I’ve never felt before, fears I’m completely foreign to, that I never knew I had, and that I never wanted to face.”

Burke revealed that “today I can say I’m no longer pushing those fears away or running from them,” adding, “Instead, I’m going to invite them in and take action so I can stop facing the world with fear and start embracing what makes me uniquely me.”

While she admitted she will “always be a work in progress,” she is going to keep “choosing to share” the ups and downs with her followers in case “one person who may feel alone in their life can know that they are not alone.”

The DWTS champ concluded: “I’m grateful for this work. I’m grateful I’ve been pushed to staying curious about this work and I’m grateful for striving for better instead of bitter. I’m proud of the woman I am today and of the woman I want to become.”