Cheryl Burke Emotionally Addresses Dog Custody Drama with Ex Mathew Lawrence (Exclusive)

Cheryl Burke is still hurting over having to battle her ex-husband over custody of their dog.

Monday's Dancing With the Stars was bittersweet for Burke and her celeb partner, Sam Champion. The pair delivered a fun, memorable dance for Disney+ Night -- a paso doble set to "The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman -- but ended up getting voted off.

Speaking with ET's Denny Directo after the eventful evening, Burke addressed one particularly challenging personal drama that has been weighing on her in recent weeks -- fighting over her beloved pup with ex Matthew Lawrence.

"Oh, I'm gonna cry," Burke said, getting emotional when asked about the custody fight, which she's been very open and vocal about in recent weeks. "It's just really sad, you know."

"It sucks because, for me, it's just cruel," she said. "She's my dog, and it was a gift from my ex, and I hope that this soon, you know, dies down, and he calls it off. Because you're taking, like, my daughter away from me."

In the Oct. 2 episode of Burke's podcast, Burke in the Game, the Dancing With the Stars pro shared that the former couple will be handling the matter in court, unless Lawrence "calls it off."

"We are going to go to trial -- unless he all of a sudden calls it off, but that would happen… and that will happen in January," Burke shared. "I'm just still really hurt by the whole situation. You know, that's my dog. Ysabella is my daughter."

"I'm a dog mom. And that's it," she added of the French bulldog. "I can't even imagine my life. I mean, I could just cry right now but, like, couldn't imagine my life without her."

Burke and Lawrence finalized their divorce last month after three years of marriage. According to the court document obtained by ET, the former spouses have reached the end of their divorce proceedings, which began when the 38-year-old dancer filed on Valentine's Day. 

Custody of Ysabella was mentioned in the doc, with their divorce settlement noting that while custody over the dog remains undecided, the exes plan to stick to their premarital agreement.

As for her time on this season of DWTS, Burke and her partner, Champion, made it four weeks into the competition before getting the boot on Monday.

After all the votes were counted, it all came down to Burke and Champion, as well as fellow dancing couple Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater. However, the judges' votes were unanimous to save Donovan and Slater, meaning Burke and Champion's time on the show was up.

"You know, Sam and I have been friends for almost a decade," Burke said, explaining the pair met when judging the Miss America competition. "We hit it off ever since."

"To be honest, I've always asked him would he ever do the show, and 10 years ago it was a non-negotiable, 'Absolutely not, this is not happening.' And I'm just proud that he has stepped out of his comfort zone," Burke added. "I just think that, in general, with every single human being, it's very important to challenge yourself."

Dancing With the Stars streams live Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Disney+.

Cheryl Burke Hints Infidelity Ended Her Marriage in Cryptic TikTok

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next

RELATED CONTENT:

Cheryl Burke Reveals She and Matthew Lawrence May Go to Trial Over Dog

Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence Finalize Their Divorce

'DWTS' Pro Cheryl Burke Celebrates 4 Years of Sobriety

'DWTS' Pro Cheryl Burke is Debating Her Future with the Franchise

'DWTS' Brings Magic and Fun to the Dance Floor On Disney Night (Recap)

Related Gallery

Biggest Celebrity Breakups of 2022