Cheryl Burke
David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartRadiowhen Cheryl Burke She was 9 years old and testified in court against a caregiver who had sexually abused her and her half-sister.
the previous Dancing with the stars Al-Moayad recalled his painful experience in the Monday, January 20, episode of the program Old-ish Podcast.
“Both of us were sexually harassed by the same person, the caregiver who was looking after us,” Burke, 40, said. “And then it was my sister's best friend who ran home and told her mother. That was the reason he was sentenced, he was supposed to get a life sentence, but he got out.”
She continued: “During his trial, I almost set myself on fire.” “I will never forget that when I was testifying with this man sitting in front of me. They wouldn't even let my mom come with me, which is so crazy. I was nine years old. And I was thinking to myself: Should I do this? “I was literally saying that to myself.”
Cheryl Burke is opening up about what she's learned from being single for three years after her split from ex-husband Matthew Lawrence. “I've definitely built more self-love, self-esteem and self-worth. I was straight, so I was never single. The idea of living alone or being alone was just[…]
Burke added: “I already felt, when I was nine years old, that I was a pedophile. That's how they made me feel.”
She explained during it Old-ish The appearance that she was “disengaged from career” as a result of past trauma that she was trying to come to terms with.
“There's no one to say, 'Okay, I'm done with this part of my life,'” Burke said. “But I had done so much work that I couldn't deal with the anger I felt towards this person that I felt like I was slowly dying, so some kind of peacemaking had to happen. It wasn't condoning the act in any way, but I had to create some sort of, like, “Okay, this guy was sick.”
However, she noted: “I do not forgive. “I don’t want people to take this the wrong way, as if I forgive him for the harassment.”
Cheryl Burke has no regrets about retiring from Dancing With the Stars, and has no plans to return in the future. “I'm done with it,” Burke, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her podcast “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans.” “Regardless of feelings, I have no interest in teaching another celebrity how to dance, (…)
Burke has previously spoken out about the abuse she suffered as a child, first In 2015 And then while discussing how the ordeal happened It affected her relationships with men As an adult.
She believes that moving forward, it will become more difficult for other victims to speak out against their attackers.
“It's society today, man,” Burke said. Old-ish“, adding: “Why would anyone want to come out and tell the truth when the victim feels like they're doing something wrong? And it's very easy to gaslight someone and the entire statute of limitations. They're all bulls—because it takes decades, if not a lifetime, to finally realize or have some kind of awareness that, “Yes, I was probably raped.”
“There were no quick fixes to any of this,” she added. There is nothing. And I don't even want that to come by any means. There is no medicine. There are no bedrooms. Believe me, I've tried everything. It will come back to you tenfold if you don't do the work, and it doesn't hurt. It hurts. “This work is painful.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call National Sexual Assault Hotline At 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
