Former “Dancing with the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke shared some advice future celebrity contestants should consider before joining the popular network TV series.
Burke, 40, who finishes appearing on the ABC dance competition show for 26 seasons in 2022, previously said romances between “DWTS” pros and their celebrity partners are common, and acknowledged that there were three instances of “showmanship” during her time on the show.
During a recent episode of the “DWTS” podcast, “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans,” Burke was asked why she thinks so many celebrities and professionals end up developing feelings for each other while on set.
“It’s an arranged marriage,” she told guest People magazine editor-in-chief Dave Quinn, “and it’s black and white. You either love each other or you really, really hate each other.”
Cheryl Burke has some advice for future celebrity contestants on “Dancing with the Stars.” (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Burke noted that the rigorous rehearsal schedules of professionals and their celebrity partners require them to spend “extraordinary” amounts of time together, which can result in their relationships being either extremely positive or extremely negative.
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“It’s not like, ‘Oh, he’s cute.’ No, you either love him or you hate him, because you’re always [together] “Eight hours a day, seven days a week,” Burke said. “That’s crazy. For three months?”
“And you’re defenseless,” she added.
Burke will finish his professional career with the program in 2022. (John Wolfson)
Burke recalled a former celebrity contestant confessing that she was in love with her professional partner, even though they were both married at the time. Although nothing ever happened between the pair, the celebrity said that even their families suspected the pair were cheating.
“You have such a close relationship with that person that you can’t get away from them,” Burke explained. “You might as well at least try to make it work.”
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“It’s intimate in so many ways,” she continued. “These celebrities are so vulnerable because they have to strip off everything to be successful. Is that all? I don’t think most married celebrities have ever done that with their wives.”
Burke said celebrity contestants who want to take part in the show “should be single.” (Robin Merchant/Getty Images, courtesy of Buca, Inc.)
Quinn, who knows the former celebrity contestant, told him that her husband was apprehensive about her taking part in the show because he was worried she would fall in love with her professional partner. The couple had a “big talk” before she agreed to take part in the show, he recalled.
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When Burke asked if the celebrity had a crush on his “DWTS” partner, Quinn admitted that he hadn’t.
“If you’re going to be on Dancing with the Stars, stay single. That’s it,” Burke said.
Burke has previously admitted to being romantically involved with three partners, naming Chad Ochocinco Johnson as one of them. (Adam Larkey/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
During an appearance on the “Amy & TJ Podcast” in April, Burke revealed that she had been romantically involved with three of her “DWTS” partners, one of whom she identified as former NFL player Chad Ochocinco Johnson, who was paired with her on the show’s 10th season in 2010.
Burke recalled that she tried to continue a relationship with one of her partners after the show ended, but “it just wasn’t going to happen.”
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When asked if she was in love with any of her partners, Burke said her showmanship was based on “lust.”
“That’s not love, is it?” Burke says. “It is love in the moment, and then you think, ‘Wait a second, what is this person like in real life?'”
