Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke will be taking her final bow on Monday night’s Season 31 finale. On Sunday, she revealed that she was retiring from the dance competition series. Even though Burke was eliminated early on in the season alongside her celebrity partner Sam Champion, she will perform one final dance in the finale.
As Burke noted on Instagram, she’ll perform alongside two of her favorite male pros on Monday night’s finale. She will perform a routine with Pasha Pashkov and Louis van Amstel, the latter of whom returned after last being seen on the show during Season 21. Burke wrote that she is “grateful to have the opportunity to perform this dance & do so with two of my favorite male pros to dance with.” The pro dancer urged her fans to tune in to the finale to see what her final dance will entail.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“I hope that you will tune in to see my farewell dance during tomorrow’s Finale as it is dedicated to all of YOU that have supported me, loved me even if you didn’t know me, & who have been such a huge part of my life, my growth, & my story,” Burke wrote. She noted that it was “one of the absolute hardest decisions” to decide to leave, but that she’s “confident” in her decision. As for what she’s up to next, she explained that she’s “excited about the idea of evolving, about being challenged in new ways, having the ability to expand my commitment to mental health advocacy, focusing on my new found love for podcasting,” Burke added that she’s “ready to face the uncertainty (though it’s scary as sh**) of what the future holds – I do have a few things up my sleeves though, so don’t worry.”
Burke continued to express her gratitude to DWTS and her fans for supporting her for the more than 20 seasons in which she was a pro dancer on the show. The DWTS star wrote, “Though there aren’t enough words to express my deep gratitude & love to my entire DWTS family I will end with this: thank you for being my rock & foundation for close to two decades during the difficult moments & most of all, thank you for giving ballroom dancing the credit & attention it deserves.” As DWTS fans know, Burke isn’t the only mainstay who is leaving after Season 31. During the semi-finals, Len Goodman revealed that he was retiring and stepping down from his position as the head judge.
