Cheryl Burke has revealed if she regrets taking jabs at Dancing with the Stars now that she's coming out of retirement to guest judge the show's upcoming Halloween episode.
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"It's going to be emotional, but I am here in a different way this time," Cheryl told People ahead of Dancing with the Stars' Halloween episode airing on Tuesday, October 28.
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"I'm here for the couples, and I really hope to be able to give constructive criticism, but also be encouraging. And I know what it takes. I have been there."
At age 21, Cheryl joined Dancing with the Stars as a pro partner for Season 2 in 2006. She announced her retirement after 26 seasons and 16 years, and so Dancing with the Stars' 31st season was her last.
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Once Cheryl made her exit, she revealed on her former "Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans" podcast that she had to "fight" to have a farewell performance on Dancing with the Stars in November 2022 and no one gave her a proper goodbye.
Although Cheryl voluntarily left Dancing with the Stars, she admitted she "didn't want to leave" but felt like she had to in order to maintain her dignity. The choreographer also claimed Dancing with the Stars ghosted her, which caused a painful rift from the people she previously called "family."
Tension apparently heightened when Cheryl wasn't invited to honor Len Goodman's memory following his April 2023 death.
Cheryl had a lifelong relationship with the late Dancing with the Stars judge, who was both her mentor and friend, but she wasn't asked to participate in his tribute with other Dancing with the Stars pros, past and present.
Cheryl took to social media at the time and called it "a stab in the heart" when she was left out of the performance.
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Now that Cheryl is going to face the DWTS producers, judges, and crew again, many fans assume it's going to be awkward and she regrets speaking out about the show.
But Cheryl insisted to People it was her "experience" and so she can't regret having been honest about it.
"Unfortunately, when it comes to headlines, I can't control that, and we all know that headlines, unfortunately, sometimes focus on negative stuff," Cheryl explained to the magazine.
"But within the context of what I've always said, I've always gone back to the fact of how grateful I am to have been a part of such a huge, iconic show like Dancing with the Stars."
Cheryl said "it just felt right" to make her Dancing with the Stars comeback 20 years after the reality dancing competition first premiered in June 2005.
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"I've been on the show for 26 seasons," she noted.
"No matter what was said or whatever, at the end of the day, it really goes back to the fact that this show has brought so much to my life. It has taught me to have my own voice."
Cheryl continued, "I mean, if you would just look at my first audition tape, you would be shocked. I sound so different. It has shaped me into the woman I am today, and I have never denied that."
Cheryl said she's "always expressed" gratitude to the show for that.
"And I think with any relationship, you have ups and downs, and that's just the way life is," she added.
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Cheryl confirmed, however, that she hasn't spoken to any of the Dancing with the Stars pros or judges -- except for a recent text exchange with pro Emma Slater -- before the show's current 34th season began.
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Cheryl therefore teased "it's going to be a huge reunion for sure."
She concluded, "I'm just really excited. Calling it nerves will only bring anxiety, so I'm going to try and switch that to excitement."