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Cheryl Burke has a word or two dozen for her haters.
On May 18, the Dancing with the Stars alum uploaded a TikTok video addressing negative remarks about her appearance that she’d noticed underneath her recent social media posts.
In particular, denied several false claims as they relate to her face — before growing candid about the challenges she faces as a 41-year old woman in the spotlight.
“Let’s just address the elephant in the comment section,” Burke said while removing her makeup in the footage. “I’m not on Ozempic. I’m not sick. I didn’t get a face transplant, and no, I didn’t get a brow lift.”
It’s almost as if folks out there think she is not a “real person” based on their vitriol, as Burke added:
“The level of projection that is happening and that I’m witnessing is wild.”
Burke emphasized how it was especially “disappointing” to see people claim they miss the “old” version of her. Who do they think they are? Who do they think she is now?!?
“Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cheryl,” she said. “Back in 2006, Dancing with the Stars season 2, when I was 21 years old, or three years ago, Cheryl, where I was going through a divorce. I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn’t exist anymore.”
She is growing. She is evolving. And that should be a good thing.
“The assumptions are just exhausting as hell,” Burke went on. “The accusations are completely cruel, and the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women, that’s what is so shocking and hurtful to be quite honest.”
What has actually happened here? Nothing, Burke says. Just the passage of time.
“I have been in the public eye since I was 21 years old, my body has changed over the past 20 years, my face has changed because I’ve changed,” she said.
“I’ve experienced so much trauma, divorce, and this is by no means a pity party. Soberity, burnout, reinvention, I’ve healed, I’ve lost, I’ve grieved like anybody else.”
Burke — who filed for divorce from Matthew Lawrence in 2022 after nearly three years of marriage — says she makes no apologies. For anything.
“I’m still the same person who has advocated for mental health and body image for many years,” she told viewers.
“I just do it differently now than maybe you’re used to. I’m quieter, I have boundaries and more discernment, and frankly, I don’t feel safe the way I used to.”
Burke was on a roll, continuing:
“There’s a tone now on certain platforms that feels more like a firing squad than an actual community. The saddest part of all is the way I’m witnessing women tear down other women while pretending it’s from concern. This is me at 41, I am still healing, still growing, and still choosing to show up.
If you’re here to speculate, compare, or demand answers that you’re just not entitled to, you’re not welcome in the space that I have created.
“But, if you’re here to evolve, unlearn, to support, welcome, we’re just getting started.
Amen.
In the caption of the video, Burke wrote:
“I’m not on Ozempic. I’m not sick. I didn’t get a ‘new face.’ Stop dissecting women’s bodies like they belong to you. This is YOUR reminder: I don’t owe you an explanation for my healing or for anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it.”
The new video comes after this star shared a similar message in an Instagram post ahead of her 41st birthday on May 3.
“This next chapter isn’t about proving anything to the world. It’s about proving to myself that I deserve peace, fulfillment, and joy without conditions,” Burke said at the time.
“Here’s to stepping into 41 with open hands, an open heart, and a soul wide awake. Here’s to Chapter 2. May it be everything and more.”
Cheryl Burke BLASTS “Cruel” Critics, Defends Appearance in Passionate Video was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.