Cheryl Burke Confirms News About Her Future On Dancing With The Stars

Cheryl Burke has made a surprising announcement regarding her future on "Dancing with the Stars."

The dancer's announcement comes on the heels of another shakeup on "DWTS," the departure of longtime judge Len Goodman, who officially said goodbye to the franchise earlier this month. Ahead of the semi-finals, Goodman revealed he's bowing out as head judge to spend more time with his family. "It's been a huge pleasure to be a huge part of such a wonderful show," he told the audience and his co-judges (via Deadline). "I cannot thank you enough, the DWTS family. It has been such a wonderful experience for me. I'm looking forward to next week's finale. I'm sure it's going to be absolutely brilliant."

Burke joined the popular dancing competition for its second season in 2006. According to EW, the professional dancer won seasons 2 and 3 of the long-running ABC series alongside her celebrity dance partners Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. Now, after participating in the show for 22 seasons, she's confirmed that she's ready to hang up her dancing shoes.

Cheryl Burke will be exiting from "Dancing with the Stars" after the Season 31 finale. The professional dancer took to Instagram to make her surprising announcement, calling it "one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life."

"I am sitting here full of so many conflicting emotions about the words I am about to write," she began the lengthy note. "Tomorrow night will officially be my final dance as a pro dancer on @dancingwiththestars." Burke thanked the cast, crew, and fans of the competition, praising them as her second family, but announced that she is more than ready to kickstart the "next phase" of her career. "I am excited about the idea of evolving, about being challenged in new ways," she added, noting that she's "ready to face uncertainty" even if it is "scary as s**t."

Many have speculated that Burke's time on "DWTS" was nearing an end. In 2020, she began hinting at her plans for the future. "My hips don't lie, and I'm starting to get tendonitis. For a woman, as far as ballroom dancing competitively goes, normally in their 30s [they retire]," she said during an appearance on the "Chicks in the Office" podcast. While she's bidding farewell to the dancefloor, Burke has expressed interest in joining the judges' panel. "It would be really great for me just to use my mouth and not my body," she mused. "I mean, four judges? It's fine! Just give us each five seconds." Maybe we'll see her there someday?