'Serial Dater' Cheryl Burke Shares Why She's Been Celibate Since Matthew Lawrence Divorce

Cheryl Burke has been celibate for nearly three years and loves it!

While chatting with Us Weekly on Thursday, the DWTS alum revealed she’s abstained from sex since her divorce from ex-husband Matthew Lawrence in 2022. While there are tons of people who don’t understand what she’s doing, the dancer insisted that it’s helped her grow so much! She explained:

“I’ve definitely built a lot more self-love and self-respect and self-worth. I was a serial dater, so I never was ever, ever single. The thought of living alone or being alone was just not an option. It was just never going to happen in my world. I love that I’ve grown so much and that I’m doing it consciously and with an intention.”

Wow! It must be refreshing to enjoy singlehood for a little bit then!

On Instagram, she previously revealed that she hadn’t had sex since 2021 — before the divorce! And on her podcast Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, she noted that she has never had an orgasm due to “my shame and my child abuse and my vulnerability and my trust in myself.” Whoa!

Hopefully, this break from sex has allowed her to unpack some of these challenges! That said, this new way of life doesn’t come without its difficulties, too. She pointed out that tons of people are confused by her choice, naturally. She noted:

“They’re just like, ‘What?’ As if I’m speaking a different language completely. Which is so interesting. There is a little bit of, initially I’m thinking, ‘Oh, wait, should I be like?’ But no! Why? I am on that Mya train. Go, Mya.”

FYI per that reference, the Grammy winner recently revealed that she’s been celibate for seven years, so that’s some good inspo for the Dance Moms alum! It helps Cheryl to see someone around her age living life in a similar manner, too. See, she believes there is a stigma with being single at 40, instead of society “celebrating” people who have that “courage.” Cheryl added:

“I’ll never forget being interviewed by somebody recently and they’re like, ‘Well, you seem really proud to be single,’ as if it was not like, ‘Are you sure you’re proud?’ It’s interesting.”

But will she ever date again? She hopes so — she’s just not rushing into anything this time. The model said:

“Never say never, but I have no plans of joining a dating app, and nor do I ever think or see myself looking. Even though I need to be better at leaving my house, I still live like a hermit sometimes, but I think it will happen when it happens. When my energy shifts, then I know if it does happen, I’m ready. I’m not in a rush.”

In the meantime, she enjoys connecting with guests on her podcast — even though she’s still “grieving” the failed marriage. She candidly shared:

“I just feel like I am still, in a way, grieving but not nearly as heavy as it was a year ago. I also feel like it’s been helpful to hear my guest’s stories and what they’ve been through, because we don’t have that time to talk. And if we do get there, we always get pulled in a different direction. So there’s a lot of similarities, but there’s also beautiful memories, and it’s everything.”

As Perezcious readers know, Cheryl and Matthew were married from 2019 to 2022, and he quickly moved on with Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, with whom he hopes to start a family. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Cheryl was ever too bothered by that part of it — and she’s certainly on her own journey now!

Thoughts? Tell us (below)!

[Image via Nicky Nelson/WENN & Matthew Lawrence/Instagram]