Why Cheryl Burke Will Be Crying on New Year's Eve: 'Don't Think It's Because I'm Sad'

Cheryl Burke
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for See Us Unite

The former 'DWTS' pro is 'so ready to start the next chapter of my life' in 2023.

Cheryl Burke is ready to turn over a new leaf in 2023. The former Dancing With the Stars pro said she is "so ready to start the next chapter of my life" in a TikTok posted on Wednesday. 

Burke, 38, finalized her divorce from Matthew Lawrence, 42, in September. 

“When you see me crying at 11:59 p.m. on NYE don’t think it’s because I’m sad,” Burke wrote atop a video of her walking away from the camera. “It’s because I f—king MADE IT through the year that did everything it could to try and break me, and there were a lot of moments when I thought I would but here I AM.”

Burke and Lawrence initially filed for divorce on Valentine's Day. They were married for three years. 

In her TikTok, Burke concluded, "Ready to move forward, to no longer be defined by my past, and SO ready to start the next chapter of my life. 2023, LET’S SHOW’EM HOW IT’S DONE!" 

In Burke's original divorce filing, she cited irreconcilable differences as the cause for their split and listed the date of separation as Jan. 7. 

The dancer raised eyebrows in August when she posted a TikTok of herself, writing, "When he said he would never talk to her again yet I found text messages, viagra, and a necklace hidden in a pair of his shoes…"

Her caption read, "The last time is absolutely right! Goodbye forever… #exessucks #thelasttime #goodbyeforever #hopeitwasworthit."

Burke never clarified whether the post was about Lawrence. 

In November, Burke opened up on an episode of Red Table Talk to discuss her experiences with childhood sexual abuse, and said she did not escape the pattern until marrying Lawrence. She added that she got married because she thought that would "define my worth."

"We dated when I first got into this business in 2006, and then took a break for a decade, dated again," she said. "An ex for a reason, right? But also, I think, for me -- and it has nothing to do with my ex whatsoever -- I wanted to see if I could get married, 'cause there was a lot of this internal 'Am I good enough?'"

Eventually, though, Burke said, "There's also a point where I need to put myself first. I owe it to myself."

RELATED CONTENT: