Celebrity

Fans Think Cheryl Burke Looks Like A 'Different Person' After She Debuts 35-Lb Weight Loss: 'I Have So Much More Energy Than I Ever Have'

May 23, 2025 by Abigail Connolly
shefinds | Celebrity
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Cheryl Burke, best known for her years of outstanding performances on Dancing With The Stars, has the internet thinking she looks like a totally “different” person after losing around 35 pounds.

The professional dancer recently revealed that through techniques like intermittent fasting and more, she managed to drop 35 pounds and drastically change her appearance. She also created a video defending herself and her lifestyle after fans began speculating that she had taken weight loss drugs due to the major differences in her face and body. Still, she insists that positive and consistent lifestyle changes helped her achieve her goals and gave her more energy. Read more about her transformation below.

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Cheryl Burke before and after weight loss

Former 'DWTS' Dancer Cheryl Burke Reveals She Lost 35-Lbs In New Interview

The television personality is stepping out and showing off her slimmer figure after working hard to lose 35 pounds in the last year. In her latest social media posts, fans have noticed that she's changed significantly, as she shares videos of herself continuing to dance with a smaller frame. Over the last few months, the 41-year-old has been carrying on with her content creation as usual, but fans couldn't help but notice how much she had changed and how much her face and body thinned out.

 

In a more recent Instagram video, where Cheryl filmed her samba dancing skills in a sports bra and tight pair of athletic leggings, her followers started speculating that she had taken some kind of weight loss drug and were concerned that she was losing weight too quickly.

 

"You got so skinny, Cheryl," commented a follower, as another asked,

"Why did you start taking Ozempic?"

 

All of the rumors and comments on her body led Cheryl to sit down with People magazine and open up about her weight loss transformation, and what she did to lose weight healthily after being in the public eye for years.

 

After leaving Dancing With The Stars in 2022, she told the publication that she had a lot of work to do on her body image and self-esteem issues, stating that she used to be "obsessive" with always looking thin.

 

"As a dancer, we were stuck in front of mirrors constantly, it was important to stay at a certain weight, and my dance coaches were really strict," she said.

 

"It has always been something that kind of weighed on me."

 

Once she decided to reframe her thinking on her body and weight, she surrounded her goals with feeling better on the inside versus looking good on the outside.

 

"It's all about starting from within first instead of the aesthetic of what I look like from the outside," explained Cheryl. "My goal wasn't to lose a certain amount of weight."

 

The dancer began intermittent fasting and focused more on her eating schedule. She decided to stop skipping breakfast and avoided eating too late into the night. Eating a clean diet was also crucial to her weight loss, so she used the help of a grocery delivery service to get healthy food shipped to her door. Besides dancing, she kept up her daily physical activity, going on 2-mile walks with her dog and getting on a treadmill whenever possible.

Fans Say Cheryl Looks Like 'A Different Person' After Losing Weight

Although she doesn't own a scale, the California native said she lost around 35 pounds and is feeling amazing.

 

"I have so much more energy than I ever have," she told People.

 

While she decided not to focus her weight loss on looking better, her fans and social media followers haven't been able to get over how much thinner she's become over the last year. A follower wrote on one of her Instagram reels, "Looks like a different person."

 

"Doesn't even look like her anymore," added another. Because her appearance changed so much, some people began to wonder if she was on a weight loss drug like Ozempic or if she had fallen ill. In response, Cheryl posted a video of herself getting "un-ready" after a long day to shut down both rumors and tell off anyone who wrote that they missed the "old Cheryl."

 

"I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn't exist anymore," she said.

 

The model then wrote in her caption, "I'm not sick [and] I didn't get a new face. Stop dissecting women's bodies like they belong to you."

 

She also told People that her weight tends to fluctuate, so she can't say for sure how long she's going to look the way she does. Regardless, she plans to continue working on her mental health and taking care of her body in the best way possible, doing her best to ignore any negativity.

Author:

Editorial Assistant

Abigail is a journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. As an Editorial Assistant for SheFinds, she covers topics ranging from celebrity news and fashion to wellness. She has written for other publications, including Chip Chick, Bandsintown, BroadwayWorld, and more. When she isn't writing, Abigail loves spending time in the city with her friends, being a 'dog mom' to her Chihuahua, and singing along to some of her favorite music.