Dancing with the Stars alum Cheryl Burke has slammed trolls criticizing her appearance and claiming she's using Ozempic to be thin.
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Cheryl captioned her post, "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."
She added, "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, Cheryl spoke her mind while taking off her makeup.
"Let's just address the elephant in the comments section. I am not on Ozempic. I am not sick. I didn't get a face transplant and, no, I didn't get a brow lift," Cheryl told her followers.
"The level of projection that is happening and that I am witnessing is wild. The way you guys talk about me is like you think I'm a headline or a filter, not a person. That's the most disappointing part that really gets me."
Cheryl also snapped at people saying they miss "the old Cheryl" from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody in 2006 and when she had joined Dancing with the Stars for Season 2 in 2005 when she was 21-years-old.
Cheryl even saw remarks about how she looked much better when she was going through a divorce from actor Matthew Lawrence.
Cheryl and Matthew met in 2006 through his brother, actor Joey Lawrence, who competed on Season 3 of Dancing with the Stars.
Cheryl filed divorce papers in February 2022 to dissolve her marriage from the former Boy Meets World and Brotherly Love actor, and the pair's divorce was finalized in September of that year.
"I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn't exist anymore," Cheryl vented.
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"The assumptions are exhausting as hell. 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, to be quite honest."
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Cheryl pointed out how she's been in the public eye for 20 years and so her appearance has naturally changed.
"My body has changed over the past 20 years. My face has changed because I have changed," Cheryl noted.
"I have experienced so much trauma, divorce -- and this is by no means a pity party -- but [also] sobriety, burn out and reinvention. I've healed, I've lost, I've grieved like anybody else. And yeah, maybe it shows, but I am not sorry for it -- not one bit."
Cheryl insisted that what's really changed about her is her "passion" and "purpose" as well as her commitments in life, including her commitment to using the power of social media for "something real" and good.
"What has been so challenging lately is this pressure to prove that I haven't done something and to convince people that my healing is valid simply because it doesn't come with a 'before and after' label," Cheryl continued.
"I am still the same person who has advocated for mental health for many years -- and body image for years. I just do it differently now than maybe you're used to. I am quieter, I have boundaries and more discernment. And frankly, I don't feel safe the way I used to on social media."
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And the pro dancer said she hates, more than anything, seeing "women tear down other women while pretending" that it's coming from a place of concern.
"This is me at 41. I am still healing, still growing, and still choosing to show up. If you are here to speculate, compare or to demand answers that you are not entitled to, then you are not welcome in this space that I have created," Cheryl said.
"But if you are here to evolve, to unlearn, to support -- welcome, we are just getting started."
After joining Dancing with the Stars in 2005, Cheryl went on to compete on more than two dozen seasons of the show.
The two-time mirrorball trophy champion announced her retirement from Dancing with the Stars in November 2022 after 17 years of competing on the show.
Cheryl got to perform a farewell dance during the show's Season 31 finale that same month, but she later admitted that she felt like Dancing with the Stars ghosted her.
Cheryl admitted she didn't really want to leave Dancing with the Stars but felt she had no choice. She said it hurt so badly that she wouldn't wish any of that pain on her worst enemy.
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Cheryl also finished in second place on the first season of I Can Do That, losing to Nicole Scherzinger. The talent competition aired on NBC from May to June 2015.
Dancing with the Stars has been picked up for its 34th season, but its cast and premiere will be announced at a later date.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
