Cheryl Burke is opening up in great detail about her split from Matthew Lawrence for the first time in interview form since their divorce announcement. The Dancing With the Stars pro and Boy Meets World star went their separate ways after three years of marriage and after knowing one another for more than a decade. The couple dated briefly for a year before splitting and reconciling 10 years later, not missing a beat. But Burke insists that she and Lawrence did everything they could to save their marriage before throwing in the towel.
“I’m a huge advocate for therapy,” she told Tamron Hall in a virtual interview. “I truly believe in it. Matt and I, we definitely, we were in couple’s therapy, even before our marriage. I think people associate therapy with like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a problem.’ But really I think it’s very healthy to have that third person there that’s not biased and that can give you ways and tools on how to communicate. I don’t regret any of that. I think that was very helpful for both of us. Emotions and feelings can get in the way and can get misconstrued. I’m a huge advocate for that. We definitely did try. People evolve. People grow. And sometimes they grow together and sometimes they unfortunately grow apart.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
She also spoke with Extra TV about the split. Before therapy, Burke revealed in an Instagram post that she was not known for exploring her emotions. But since the split, she realizes it’s something that’s necessary, and doing so by spending quality time with herself.
Burke initiated the divorce by filing paperwork on Feb. 18. She listed irreconcilable differences as the reason for their breakup. Sources close to the former couple say lifestyle differences and not being able to decide whether or not to start a family led to their split.