‘Dancing With the Stars’ Alum Cheryl Burke Reveals 35-Pound Weight Loss

Cheryl Burke is opening up about her recent weight loss after clapping back on social media at rumors that she had used Ozempic to shed some pounds.

The Dancing with the Stars alum, 41, told PEOPLE Tuesday that after noticing a change in her metabolism as she hit her 40s, she knew she couldn’t approach fitness and weight loss the same way she did when she was younger and “obsessive” over her body image.

“As a dancer, we were stuck in front of mirrors constantly, it was important to stay at a certain weight, and my dance coaches were really strict,” said Burke, who left DWTS after 26 seasons in 2022. “It has always been something that kind of weighed on me.”

“It would really affect my mood on a daily basis if I didn’t feel like I was skinny enough,” she continued. “Just being consistently chastised about my weight, it wasn’t fun. I even used to travel with a scale. That’s how obsessive I was. So it’s just not healthy.”

As she embarked on making some changes to her lifestyle this time, Burke said she wanted to start from “within” instead of “the aesthetic of what I look like from the outside,” noting that her goal wasn’t to lose “a certain amount” of weight.

Focusing on intermittent fasting and eating clean, in addition to regular exercise, has been a game changer for Burke, who estimates she’s probably lost between 30 to 35 lbs. in recent months, despite not owning a scale. “I have so much more energy than I ever have,” she gushed.

@cherylburkeofficial

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. #stopbodyshaming #realtalk #mentalhealthawareness

♬ original sound – Cheryl Burke

Burke recently took to TikTok to shut down comments about her appearance, writing in the caption of a longer video, “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.”

In the video, the professional dancer added that the assumptions being made about her “are exhausting as hell,” continuing, “The accusations are completely cruel and the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women is what is so shocking and hurtful.”