Cheryl Burke Opens Up About Leaving Dance for Beauty: ‘I’m Discovering Who I Am’ (Exclusive)

Catherine Santino, Deirdre DurkanMon, May 4, 2026 at 2:53 PM UTC

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Cheryl Burke.Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty -

Cheryl Burke opened up to PEOPLE about leaving the dance world for a new career as a beauty creator at a Calamigos event

"I’m still figuring life out, and the transition has been different for me, but it’s also been really fun doing new things," she shared

Burke has recently addressed criticisms of her appearance

Cheryl Burke is enjoying life as a beauty creator.

The star, 42, opened up about her new career goals at the Calamigos Ranch Resort & Spa Leading Hotels of the World Accreditation Celebration on Friday, May 1.

While chatting with PEOPLE at the Malibu, Calif., event, Burke said dance is "not as much" a part of her life these days.

"I am now actually into the beauty space," she continued. "I’m still figuring life out, and the transition has been different for me, but it’s also been really fun doing new things."

The Dancing with the Stars alum also spoke about being a part of the 2026 Sephora Squad, a year-long partnership program that selects beauty creators to act as brand ambassadors.

“I have always had a passion for beauty," she shared. "All the glam that we use — we are honestly so privileged to have amazing makeup artists."

Burke added that in the dance world, makeup was "more about hiding behind my mask."

"Now I’m discovering who I am underneath it all and really trying to enhance my beauty instead of hide it," she explained. "It’s been an interesting journey and lots of learning new things and figuring out who I really am underneath it all."

Cheryl Burke.Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

The star added that her makeup philosophy now is "really about embracing who I am."

"I’m so used to illusions — how do I make my lips bigger, how do I make my cheekbones stand out more, especially when you’re doing stage makeup," she said. "Now it’s about embracing what I was given, with a couple of eyelashes still."

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Burke also recently addressed criticisms of her appearance.

In an Instagram post shared on Feb. 19, the dancer told the haters to "back off" about how she decides to do her makeup.

"For those that keep saying, 'Why do I have my eyebrows all the way down to my cheeks?' This is just my bone structure," she says in the clip, in which she added that her drawn-in eyebrows only look lengthened because of the shadows of her "sunken-in temples."

Burke also addressed her possible plans to get filler for her temples, a treatment she's leaning towards. "It is what it is for now until I decide to pull the trigger and get filler," she says, then adding, "Should we pick on your face now?"

Cheryl Burke on Instagram.Credit: Cheryl Burke/Instagram

In summer 2025, the reality star shared an Instagram post clapping back at people who speculated the reasons she looked "different."

“The noise that was never yours to carry,” she wrote alongside a selfie in June. “Online Criticism: ‘You look so different. Did she get work done? You were better before…’ Truth: People project. Let them. You’re allowed to evolve.”

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“There comes a moment when you realize the loudest voice in the room doesn’t always speak the truth,” Burke added in the caption. “The opinions. The projections. The pressure. You don’t have to carry any of it…”

A month prior, she denied several false claims.

“Let’s just address the elephant in the comment section,” Burke said in an Instagram post in May. “I’m not on Ozempic. I’m not sick. I didn’t get a face transplant, and no, I didn’t get a brow lift."

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