Cheryl Burke is hanging up her dancing shoes.
But her Dancing with the Stars shoes?
She hopes to continue wearing those for a very, very long time.
On November 20, the 38-year-old announced on Instagram that she’s walking away from her job as a pro dancer on Dancing With the Stars after almost 17 years.
The beloved cast member has been shaking, rattling, rolling and waltzing on camera since Season 2.
Burke will dance on the show for the final time on the Monday night season finale, which airs on November 21.
“This has been one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life & I am also confident that it is the right one,” Burke wrote in her post.
“This has truly been the experience of a lifetime. I’m looking forward to this next chapter of my career, but man will this one be hard to beat!”
Elsewhere in her message, Burke (who teamed this latest season with Sam Champion), stated:
This show has been my 2nd family since I was 21 years old.
The cast, crew & fans have seen me through my highest highs & some of my lowest lows, & I honestly don’t know who I would be today without them.
I also know that it is time for me to begin the next phase of my career, although dance will always be a part of me. I am 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.
I’m ready to face the uncertainty (though it’s scary as sh**) of what the future holds.
Burke does have an idea of what she hopes to be doing in this future.
“There’s so much more that I want to do, other than teach a celebrity how to dance,” Burke told Variety over the weekend.
“Mind you, this has been a beautiful thing. I’m not saying that in a bad way whatsoever, I’m saying this in a graceful way.”
A week ago, head judge Len Goodman announced his retirement… and Burke added that she hopes to take his coveted spot.
won both Seasons 2 and 3, with partners Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith, respectively.
She left at the end of Season 19, only to come back for Season 23.
The stat also took off Seasons 24 and 26 before returning for the past four installments.
In total, Burke has competed on 25 seasons of the long-running program and the one season of the “Juniors” spinoff.
On Season 31, she and partner Sam Champion were eliminated during the third week.
Burke, meanwhile, also told Variety that she’s been in discussion with producers about what may come next.
“They are very well aware that I want that seat. It’s not that I just want it, I just know that I can contribute because I am an expert in ballroom dancing,” she said of Goodman’s soon-to-be-vacant spot on the panel.
“I don’t know where they’re heading with this. I know they still have the huge finale coming up, and they want to get through the season, but they are very well aware.
“They have been very well aware for probably a few years now. So unfortunately, that decision is not up to me.
“I would love to still be a part of the family, I just would love a different role on the show, just like anybody after 26 seasons of having that same title.
“I think it’s important, for me at least, to feel like, okay, let’s grow together as a brand and also for me as a person.
“If that’s not with the show, then I’m moving forward and I’m moving on.”
Kay D. Rhodes
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