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Professional dancer Cheryl Burke has opened up about her struggles with addiction as well as her road to sobriety on tonight's episode of DWTS. The 37-year-old dancer admitted:
"I made promises to myself I would never drink alone, then that started to go away. Or I wouldn't drink before 5 p.m., no drinking on weekdays. It just never stopped. It became so that my tolerance was just nothing got me drunk. I was a functioning drunk for sure."
The series has already reached week seven, and things get emotional on the "Queen Night" themed episode.
Cheryl Burke's battles with alcohol addiction
DWTS pro Cheryl Burke has been sober for over three years now. Previously, she used to abuse alcohol every single day of the week.
“I am definitely an alcoholic and addict, yes, 100%,” she said.
At the age of 21, Cheryl began drinking after moving to Los Angeles. She recalled that she would often push herself to drink more and eventually reached a point where no amount of liquor would get her drunk.
“I was a ballroom-by-day type girl and then party- or club-goer at night…for 10 years in a row,” she said.
Back in 2006, Cheryl Burke partnered with footballer Chad OchoCinco on DWTS. She recollects hearing voices in her head and messing up the choreography. The voices kept asking her to "go the other way," leading to Burke botching the routine.
She started drinking more after the traumatic incident to fight her insecurities.
Cheryl gathered the courage to stop drinking when she lost her father, who was also an alcoholic, with a glass of whiskey in his hand. She even started developing allergic reactions to alcohol after his passing.
The Mirrorball champion admitted that dancing also helped her in the fight. For Cheryl Burke, dance worked like therapy.
"As stressful as it is, pouring myself into a season of DWTS and dedicating my time to help my partner grow, in whatever journey they are on, is what I love to do,” she said.
Recently, Cheryl celebrated being three years sober with a post on Instagram:
About Dancing with the Stars episode Queen Night
The nine finalists on the show return for another week in the ballroom on November 1 from 8:00pm to 10:00 pm EDT on ABC. The episode's theme is "Queen Night" and fans will see dance numbers based on classics from the legendary band Queen.
This week, the episode opens with I Want It All by Queen. The celebrity and pro dance duo's performances include styles such as foxtrot, quickstep, paso doble, the jve, and more.
ABC will be premiering The Queen Family Singalong, a one-night special event on November 4 from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm EDT, starring DWTS talent Derek Hough, Jimmie Allen and JoJo Siwa.
