The Untold Story Of Cheryl Burke's Parents: Divorce, Trauma, And The Family History That Fueled Her Sobriety

As of December 2025, fans of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) know Cheryl Burke as a two-time champion, a formidable competitor, and an outspoken advocate for mental health and sobriety. However, the foundation of her resilience and public honesty is deeply rooted in her complex and often painful relationship with her parents, Sherri and Stephen Burke.

The story of Cheryl Burke's upbringing, marked by her parents' early divorce and a challenging family history, is not one of glitz and glamour, but of profound personal struggle and ultimate reconciliation. This deep dive explores the lives of Sherri and Stephen Burke and the indelible mark they left on the celebrated professional dancer, including the tragic event that became a major turning point in her life.

Cheryl Burke's Parents: A Complete Family Profile

Cheryl Stephanie Burke was born on May 3, 1984, in San Francisco, California. Her family background is a blend of cultures, which has contributed to her unique identity. Though she is now known simply as Cheryl Burke, she was originally named Stephanie Burke by her parents, a name she later legally changed, with their encouragement, after they started calling her Cheryl.

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• Mother: Sherri Burke (also known as Sherri Bautista)
• Father: Stephen Louis Burke (Passed away in 2018)
• Siblings: Nicole Wolf, Mandy Wolf, and Ina Burke
• Parents' Status: Divorced
• Mother's Ethnicity: Filipino
• Father's Ethnicity: American
• Mother's Profession: Nurse
• Father's Profession: Attorney
• Father's Date of Death: March 9, 2018

Sherri Burke: The "Original Dance Mom" and Filipino Heritage

Cheryl's mother, Sherri Burke, played a pivotal role in nurturing her daughter's early dance career. A Filipina nurse, Sherri brought a strong cultural background and work ethic to the family. She is often referred to by those close to the DWTS star as the "Original Dance Mom" for her dedication to her daughter's training, which began with ballet lessons at the age of four.

Even after her parents' divorce, Sherri remained a constant and supportive presence. She has been publicly interviewed about her daughter's success and even featured in some of Cheryl's personal videos, showcasing a close, enduring bond. Sherri was also involved in the planning of Cheryl's engagement to Matthew Lawrence, helping to reset a diamond from Cheryl's late father into the ring, a touching testament to her desire to keep both parents connected to her daughter's life.

Stephen Louis Burke: Divorce, Estrangement, and Reconciliation

Stephen Louis Burke, Cheryl's father, was an American attorney. His relationship with Cheryl was tumultuous and deeply affected by her parents' divorce, which occurred when Cheryl was just two years old. Cheryl has publicly shared that her first childhood memory was seeing her father with another woman, a moment that contributed to her early feelings of abandonment and trauma.

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The estrangement between father and daughter lasted for a decade, a period of silence that was emotionally taxing for the professional dancer. Fortunately, they were able to reconnect later in life. This reconciliation was a healing period, but it was tragically cut short.

The Profound Impact of Her Father's Passing on Sobriety

The death of Stephen Louis Burke on March 9, 2018, at the age of 67, was a devastating blow to Cheryl. While the loss itself was difficult, the circumstances surrounding his life and passing served as a major catalyst for the DWTS star's own journey toward sobriety and mental wellness.

A Family History of Alcoholism

Cheryl has been candid about the fact that her father was an alcoholic, a struggle that was part of her family history. She has acknowledged that she herself is a "trauma survivor" and an "addict," and that she started drinking heavily at the age of 21 after moving to Los Angeles.

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The moment that ultimately solidified her decision to quit drinking was a heartbreaking memory involving her father. She recounted seeing him on his deathbed with a glass of whiskey, a painful image that underscored the severity of the disease and the devastating cycle of addiction.

This experience, coupled with her own realization that she was drinking seven days a week, propelled her to embrace sobriety. Her father's life and death became a powerful, sobering lesson that she did not want to repeat. She has been sober for several years and now uses her platform to discuss the intersection of trauma, anxiety, and addiction, encouraging others to seek help.

Childhood Trauma and the Path to Healing

Beyond the complexities of her parents' divorce and her father's alcoholism, Cheryl Burke has bravely opened up about other significant childhood traumas that deeply affected her adult relationships and mental health. This candidness has provided a deeper understanding of the struggles she carried throughout her career.

The Revelation of Abuse

In a shocking and courageous move, Burke revealed in her autobiography, Dancing Lessons: How I Found Passion and Potential on the Dance Floor and in Life, and in subsequent interviews, that she was repeatedly molested by a family friend, a retired mailman in his late 60s, starting when she was just five years old.

She has discussed how this early trauma, combined with the instability of her parents' divorce, created a "vicious cycle" in her adult life, leading her to seek out unhealthy or abusive relationships. The emotional toll of these experiences is something she continues to address through therapy and self-reflection, actively working to "retrain her brain" to break these patterns.

The story of Cheryl Burke's parents is therefore inseparable from her own narrative of resilience. While the divorce and her father's struggles created significant challenges, the support from her mother, Sherri, and her own determination to confront her family's history of addiction and her personal trauma have transformed her into the powerful advocate and "trauma survivor" she is today. Her continuous public sharing ensures that her family's story, while difficult, serves as an inspiration for healing and accountability.