Cheryl Burke Revealed She Almost Fell For a Former ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Partner

Spending time rehearsing, practicing and dancing in the ballroom can foster close relationships between Dancing With the Stars pros and their celebrity partners. Dancer Cheryl Burke revealed in her 2011 memoir that she’s experienced romantic feelings while working with a celebrity on the show.

In season 10 of Dancing With the Stars, which was over a decade ago, Burke was partnered with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, and she nearly fell for the ex-NFL player, she revealed in her 2011 memoir Dancing Lessons.

“On the first day, Chad was very quiet,” Burke wrote in Dancing Lessons. “During a break I told him that I had expected him to be a bit more talkative. He smiled – he has the greatest smile in the world – and acknowledged that he was nervous to be doing the show.”

Burke Says She Nearly Fell for Johnson

Burke revealed in the memoir that she and Johnson went out to experience the nightlife in Miami since he knew the city well. There were later rumors of the couple having a romantic relationship, though they denied it at the time.

“Because Chad is so good looking and fun and single, people assumed that we’d be a perfect match – and not just on the dance floor,” Burke shared. “We had been working together only a couple of weeks when my publicist, Susan, got calls asking if Chad and I were an item. The rumor mill was getting fired up – and this time, with due cause.”

Burke says that she and Johnson continued to get closer, but that she didn’t want to be in a relationship with him at the time.

Burke Didn’t Believe Johnson Would Commit to One Woman

During their time together, according to the memoir, Johnson showed how much Burke’s friendship meant to him by giving her gifts.

“The third week of the season, after the live shows had begun, Chad gave me a huge diamond ring,” she wrote. “It was gorgeous, but I thought it was far too fancy for me to accept. He insisted, however.”

She shared that what mattered to her more than gifts or jewelry was how she was treated by him. She later confronted him about what would happen if they started dating and she had feelings for him but he wanted to see other women.

“Although Chad was wooing me, I had to resist because, ultimately, he doesn’t believe in relationships,” the pro dancer wrote. “As much as I liked him, I couldn’t let myself fall for him, because I knew that there would always be somebody else. I know that the girl I used to be would be okay with seeing this kind of guy… but the woman I am now needs, wants, and deserves more.”

Burke revealed that she was stuck in a pattern of abusive relationships when she was younger in an emotional YouTube video in late 2020. She said that after high school, she was able to eventually leave the relationships behind.

“This whole thing was such a bad, toxic cycle,” she said. “And I would really get affected by everything on such a deep level.”

She had a dance partner later that helped her get out of the cycle of abusive relationships.

The first relationship that was not abusive, Burke said, was her first relationship with her now-husband.

“I’m just so grateful and happy that the universe really brought him back into my life when I was ready,” she said.

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