NEWSCheryl Burke Spills Haunting Confession About High School Boyfriend Who 'Whipped Me With A Belt': 'I Remember His Parents Were Watching It'
Cheryl Burke is opening up about a troubling past relationship following her recent divorce from husband Matthew Lawrence.
In a sneak peak of her appearance on Red Table Talk, set to air Wednesday, November 2, the Dancing with the Stars pro detailed her first-hand experience with domestic violence.
"Not to get too graphic, but in high school — I'll never forget, the person I was with on and off for about four years whipped me with a belt," Burke, 38, shared with the show hosts. "And I had bruises all over my legs."
Burke then revealed: "I remember his parents were watching it, didn't do anything. And it wasn't like he was hitting me, he was whipping me."
While Burke's confession stunned the Red Table Talk panel, the professional dancer has been open in the past about her experiences with abuse.
The brunette beauty first broke her silence about the sexual abuse she endured as a child in TLC's 2015 documentary Breaking the Silence, revealing it occurred at the hands of a neighbor in his '60s when she was only five years old. Burke explained at the time that her mom asked the predator to watch her when she was in kindergarten.
"He would cuddle me, he would make me watch pornographic videos," she went on. "He was kind of like that fatherly figure — I think he knew my weakness, that I was very insecure. He knew that no one was ever around."
Looking back on the abuse, Burke said she struggled to process what was happening to her.
"I couldn't speak up for myself," Burke recalled of the horrifying experience. "It was hard for me to say no. In a weird way, it was like I didn't want to hurt him."
After the neighbor was later caught trying to molest one of Burke's friends, the DWTS performer testified against him at just nine years old. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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Despite finalizing her divorce from Lawrence in September, Burke previously gushed that their former relationship was the only one that "did not fit this abusive pattern" she once experienced.
CHERYL BURKE EX MATTHEW LAWRENCE LIVING WITH HIS MOTHER & BROTHER AFTER SPLIT, DOCUMENTS REVEAL
"He is the complete opposite of everything bad about my past relationships," she said back in a 2020 YouTube video. "I think when I look back on this time in my life, I could sit here and say that I wish these things had never happened to me, but I look at it now as every part of my story has helped me to become the woman I am today."
Mere days before the former couple reached a settlement — they “entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage or domestic partnership, including support" — Burke hinted in a TikTok that their romance may have ended due to Lawrence being unfaithful.
The divorced pair is currently battling over the custody of their shared dog.
People reported on Burke's upcoming RTT appearance.
