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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Ayeesha Walsh

Cheryl Burke bursts into tears as she reveals she's leaving Dancing With The Stars

Dancing With The Stars icon Cheryl Burke has announced her departure from the show after 17 years.

The legendary professional dancer has been a mainstay on the programme for 26 seasons but has called time on her run admitting the move has left her feeling overly emotional.

Cheryl, 38, even met her now ex-husband Matthew Lawrence on the show, but following their divorce has decided to take some time out to focus on her health.

While she has previously taken breaks over the years she now admits the decision this time is definitely final and says she won't be back.

Cheryl has quit after an impressive 17 years on the show (GETTY)

Talking to PEOPLE she said: "I have been crying nonstop. It has been very emotional. There are a lot of emotions and there's lots of excitement, but there's also lots of fear. At the end of the day, this is actually maybe another divorce in a way that I'm going through in one year."

Cheryl became a household name after she won her first Mirrorball Trophy back in season two when she was paired with Drew Lachey.

That success was followed with a second win in season three when she triumphed alongside NFL player Emmitt Smith, with the pair joining forces again in the All-star 15th season.

During her time on the show, Cheryl danced alongside 25 different celebrities and admits that she had many favourites because it was "never about the mirrorball" for her.

Cheryl has been on Dancing With The Stars for 26 seasons (ABC via Getty Images)
Fans have been stunned by Cheryl's performances over the years (ABC via Getty Images)

Citing her favourite pairings she admitted that "Jack Osbourne was amazing," as well as naming Rob Kardashian, Emmitt and Sam Champion in her list of favourites as she confessed it was "always about my experience."

Cheryl went on to outline how the hard work she has put in has taken its toll on her body.

She said: "Lately I've talked a lot about how my body - it just hurts. For me as a dancer, as a woman, unfortunately, this is what happens as an athlete as well. There comes a time when —I'm almost 40 years old. I'm 38, and I have certain expectations I set for myself. Sometimes, if I don't see what I want to see or think that I am producing, that has a lot to do with it. But then also, it has a lot to do with growth in general."

Cheryl performing alongside Cody Rigsby (ABC via Getty Images)

As for her stand-out moment from her time on the show Cheryl admitted that it came when Rob told her his main goal was to last longer in the series than his famous sister Kim Kardashian did when she starred on the show.

Rob eventually went on to finish in second place fulfilling his passionate sibling rivalry perfectly.

While Cheryl has ruled out a return to professional dancing, she hasn't ruled out coming back to the show in a different capacity.

Dancing With The Stars season 31 champion will be announced live on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+.

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