Cheryl Burke Blasts Critics of Her ‘New Face’: ‘I’m Not on Ozempic. I’m Not Sick’ tram

Cheryl Burke is squashing speculation about her “new face.”

On Sunday, May 18, the Dancing with the Stars alum, 41, shared a TikTok video addressing comments about her appearance that she’d noticed underneath her recent social media posts. She denied several false claims before confessing to finding proving herself “challenging.” 

“Let’s just address the elephant in the comment section,” Burke said, while removing her makeup in the video. “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."

“The level of projection that is happening and that I’m witnessing is wild,” she said, adding that people discuss her online as if she is “not a person.”

Burke confessed that the “most disappointing part” is reading comments from people saying they miss the “old” version of her. 

“Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Cheryl,” she said. “Back in 2006, Dancing with the Stars season 2, when I was 21 years old, or three years ago, Cheryl, where I was going through a divorce. I hate to break it to you, but that Cheryl doesn’t exist anymore."

“The assumptions are just exhausting as hell,” she continued. “The accusations are completely cruel, and the fact that so many of them are actually coming from women, that’s what is so shocking and hurtful to be quite honest."

“I have been in the public eye since I was 21 years old, my body has changed over the past 20 years, my face has changed because I’ve changed,” Burke said. “I’ve experienced so much trauma, divorce, and this is by no means a pity party. Soberity, burnout, reinvention, I’ve healed, I’ve lost, I’ve grieved like anybody else."

“And yeah, maybe it shows, but I’m not sorry for it, not one bit,” she added. (Burke filed for divorce from Matthew Lawrence in 2022 after nearly three years of marriage.)

Burke went on to say that the “pressure” to prove herself lately has “been challenging,” while adding that her “healing” journey hasn’t “come with the before and after label” people approve of.

“I’m still the same person who has advocated for mental health and body image for many years,” she said. “I just do it differently now than maybe you’re used to. I’m quieter, I have boundaries and more discernment, and frankly, I don’t feel safe the way I used to."

“There’s a tone now on certain platforms that feels more like a firing squad than an actual community,” she continued. “The saddest part of all is the way I’m witnessing women tear down other women while pretending it’s from concern. This is me at 41, I am still healing, still growing, and still choosing to show up.”

“If you’re here to speculate, compare, or demand answers that you’re just not entitled to, you’re not welcome in the space that I have created,” she added. “But, if you’re here to evolve, unlearn, to support, welcome, we’re just getting started.”

In the caption of the video, Burke wrote, “I’m not on Ozempic. I’m not sick. I didn’t get a ‘new face.’ Stop dissecting women’s bodies like they belong to you. This is YOUR reminder: I don’t owe you an explanation for my healing or for anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it.”

Hundreds of people liked the video and praised her in the comment section for taking a stand against critics. 

The video comes after she shared a similar message in a reflective Instagram post ahead of her 41st birthday on May 3. “This next chapter isn't about proving anything to the world. It's about proving to myself that I deserve peace, fulfillment, and joy without conditions,” Burke said. 

"Here's to stepping into 41 with open hands, an open heart, and a soul wide awake. Here's to Chapter 2. May it be everything and more ..." she concluded.