Cheryl Burke Had ‘Showmances’ With 3 ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Celebrities

The ballroom pro says she dated three of her dance partners.

Falling in love on the job is not uncommon, and it’s happened to Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke three times. The Dancing With the Stars staple spoke to Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, who had their own high-profile workplace romance, on their podcast and dished on her romantic history. That history apparently includes three relationships from her time on the show with her dance partners or co-stars. 

Burke appeared on 25 seasons of the hit ABC ballroom competition show and talked about the  “showmances” she had with her famous partners while working on it. “I’ve had my own showmances, you know. It happens,” she admitted on the Amy & T.J podcast. She said she wasn’t forbidden from speaking about it on the show but only divulged the identity of one. 

“One of them basically professed his love to me on Ellen DeGeneres,” she said. She ultimately confirmed she was talking about former NFL star, Chad Ochocinco Johnson, her season 10 celebrity partner. During their appearance on DeGeneres’ show, Johnson kissed her and they flashed the $10,000 ring he bought Burke. She says despite the rock, they were never engaged.

While she tried to turn all of her showmances into something more serious, it didn’t pan out that way. “Lust. It’s not love, right?” she said. 

Burke is recently divorced from her husband of less than three years, Matthew Lawrence. He is currently dating TLC superstar, Chilli. Despite the marriage ending, she says she hasn’t ruled off marriage in the future.

“I totally would get married again,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2023. “I mean, I know we should probably go from like meeting somebody first, not like straight to the altar, but our time is limited on this planet.”