Cheryl Burke
David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartRadioWhen Cheryl Burke When she was 9 years old, she testified in court against a caregiver who sexually abused her and her stepsister.
Previous Dancing with the Stars pro recalled the traumatic experience of the Monday, January 20 episode Old podcast.
“We were both sexually assaulted by the same person, a caregiver who looked after us,” said Burke, 40. “And then she ran home and she was my sister's best friend and she told her mom. That was the reason he was punished – he should have been imprisoned for life, but he got out.
During his trial, he said, “I almost set myself on fire.” “When I testified with this man sitting in front of me, I will never forget it. They wouldn't even let my mom come with me, it was crazy. I was 9 years old. I thought to myself, “Am I making this up?” I was literally saying this to myself.”
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Burke added: “I already felt like a pedophile at the age of 9. They created such feelings in me.”
He explained at the time Old as a result of his past trauma, which he is trying to reconcile, he shows that he is a “professional disassociator”.
“Well, I'm done with this part of my life,” said Burke. “But I've done so much that I couldn't get over my anger at this one person that I felt like I was slowly dying, so some kind of peacemaking had to happen. Not condoning the act by any means, but I kind of had to create, 'Okay, this guy was sick.'
However, he noted, “I'm not forgiving. I don't want people to misunderstand that I forgave him for insulting him.”
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, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting her Sex, Lies and Darkness Spray podcast. “Feelings aside, I have no interest in teaching another celebrity to dance. […]
Burke has previously spoken about the abuse he suffered as a child In 2015 and then when discussing how the exam went affected her relationships with men as an adult.
She believes that going forward, it will be harder for other victims to speak out against their abusers.
“It's community today, man,” Burke said Oldadded, “Why would anyone want to come out and tell the truth when a victim feels they've done something wrong? And it's very easy to burn gas for someone and all this limitation period. It's all bull, because it takes decades, if not lifetimes, to finally realize or have some kind of awareness that says, 'Yeah, maybe I was molested.'
He added: “There were no quick fixes to any of this. There is none. And I don't want to come across that by any means. There is no medicine. No shampoos. Trust me, I've tried everything. And if you don't do the work, it comes back tenfold, and boy, it doesn't hurt. It is painful. This work is painful.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, get in touch National Sexual Violence Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
