Cheryl Burke Is Ready To Re-Enter 'The Dating World'

Cheryl Burke is ready to dip her toes back into the dating pool again months after her divorce from Matthew Lawrence.

Burke and Lawrence's relationship suffered multiple challenges before they decided to call it quits in January 2022, kicking off their divorce process — which was also wrought with ups and downs. Now, Burke is ready to put that behind her and focus on enjoying her single life.

From admitting how a past abusive relationship had affected her worldview of love to disclosing her unreadiness to date again, Burke has been open with fans. Hence, it was no surprise when she updated her followers and fans on her intent to give dating another shot.

The "Dancing with the Stars" alum uploaded a silhouette pic that showed her standing on a stone head with her hands in the air on Instagram. The body of water, the blue skies, and the almost blinding sunlight in Burke's front beautified the photo. The 38-year-old got to the nitty-gritty in her caption, writing:

"It's been a journey this last year with so much change and shift. I had spent a lot of time thinking that I had to "figure it out" before I jump back into the dating world. I'm realizing I don't know if there is such a thing as "figuring it out" - I now know that life will be filled with curve balls, revelations and new beginnings all along the way."

After asking if there was anyone who "really it all "figured out?"" she explained that she was "committing to reentering the dating world with my good friend @pattistanger." Burke noted her curiosity "to start this journey" and promised to take her fans "for the ride each week on @burkeinthegame. It will be interesting, to say the least."

"Thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to see that people like to self help themselves through life's challenges and make themselves better. I love reading your post. Thanks again for sharing Cheryl," one appreciative fan gushed.

A second fan claimed that any man would be "lucky" to have the dancer as their leading lady. Meanwhile, this fan just wanted her to "let it come to you, don't go looking for it, and never works. It'll come to you, trust me."

A previous report from The Blast detailed how she took a break from dating as part of her sobriety journey. During a conversation with Adrienne Banfield Norris and Jada Pinkett Smith, the model began: 

"I used alcohol to numb. I'm an addict. I was a functioning addict. It was when I wasn't drinking that people were like, 'What's wrong with you?'"

Burke stated that although she has been sober for four years, things became challenging following her public divorce. However, instead of giving in to drinking, the "I Can Do That" star recognized that she had reached a point where she needed to put herself and her sobriety first.

To that end, she chose to do things "one day at a time, one minute at a time" while also "choosing not to date" anybody but herself. Even so, she understood that it was "easier said than done" and was focused on adjusting to the difference between being alone and feeling lonely. 

During Burke's conversation with Pinkett-Smith and Banfield-Norris, the trio talked about trauma bonding. The Blast shared that trauma bonding happens when an abused individual forms an unhealthy attachment with their abuser.

This emotional attachment is birthed from a repeated cycle of abuse and devaluation. While this situation can occur between a kidnapper and a hostage or a child and an abusive caregiver, the trio's discussion focused on trauma bonds in romantic relationships. 

As it turned out, Burke had experienced the same thing in various relationships, even in the one she had when she was in high school. Recalling a nasty case of abuse, the TV host said:

"In high school — I'll never forget — the person I was with on and off for about four years whipped me with a belt. And I had bruises all over my legs. I remember his parents were watching it — didn't do anything."

She further stated that she looked at her abuser as the "definition of love."