Cheryl Burke, 42, Hits Back at Body-Shamers Amid Criticism Over Her Unrecognizable Appearance: 'Stop Comparing Me to When I Was 20'

Dancing With the Stars alum Cheryl Burke is responding after making headlines for the drastic change in her unrecognizable appearance.

In her latest interview with Dory Jackson, as part of the "The Dory Jackson Interview" series posted to YouTube on Wednesday, July 1, she opened up about her transition into beauty influencing, her work with the Sephora Squad, her sobriety journey and her exit from Dancing With the Stars — but most notably, how she feels about her new look and the criticism that's come with it.

She first made headlines in May 2025 for her noticeably slimmed-down figure, revealing at the time that she'd lost about 35 pounds through intermittent fasting and a focus on healthier eating habits.

Later that same year, in October, she made her highly anticipated return to Dancing with the Stars as a guest judge, sparking more questions about her physical transformation.

Opening up to Jackson, she said, "It does. It gets to me for sure," continuing to add, "and also the psychological stress of it all. It really takes a toll on you, on everyone."

Burke then pushed back on the comparisons to her younger self, noting, "I am also 42. Stop comparing me to when I was 20. I may be different than what this person is experiencing when she went through perimenopause."

"And when you're not pounding on your body, it's changing. Maybe not for the best, but it's just that's life," she continued about the realities of aging.

Burke said she has been trying as much as she can to tune out the public's opinion, sharing, "I mean, also there's going to come a point where it just gets old. People are going to say the same thing every time. But ultimately I believe that no matter what, obviously all of that validation, that sometimes I look outside myself for it, ultimately just, it comes from you, right from within. And I think when you work on that, then you just naturally start to not care what people think. And I think, but that is a nasty work. That's not fun."

"I think honestly, first of all, all knowing that you don't like yourself, you have to understand that whatever it is, whether it's a physical ailment or if it's just comparison, or if it's body dysmorphia that was instilled in you since you were a kid, it just depends. It's very personal," Burke went on to say about figuring out how to love herself.

She finished by addressing how she has been focused on herself and the importance of giving urself grace: "It's more about the work I've been doing since I retired from Dancing with the Stars, just on who I am and still discovering who that is. And doing so with grace, I think, is important because I am very results-oriented. I want a solution to everything. And sometimes you don't get it, and that's okay."