Cheryl Burke is showing gratitude for her dog amid a custody battle with ex-husband Matthew Lawrence.
The Dancing with the Stars pro, 38, wrote that she “can’t imagine life without” her dog Ysabella as she mused Saturday on how the French bulldog has helped her maintain her sobriety throughout the ups and downs of her three-year marriage.
“The belief in a power greater than myself consistently helps me to stay the course when things get hard, and I have to give credit to my dog, Ysabella, for keeping me going a lot of the time,” she wrote on Instagram. “Yep, I’m a full-blown ‘dog mom’ and not ashamed to say it!
“Going through a public divorce, there have been days where I wanted to just stay in bed and hide, and the idea of numbing my emotions with a vodka soda can sound pretty appealing. But Ysabella has tons of energy and gets me outside to go for walks multiple times a day. She loves me to play with her, and I honestly can’t imagine life without her by my side 24/7,” Burke continued.
She explained that her sobriety journey began on the night of her engagement party in 2018, shortly after the death of her father, who was also an alcoholic. After burying her dad in Thailand, she “would turn red and break out in hives” any time she drank.
Burke, who celebrated four years of sobriety in August, noted that she and Lawrence, 42, had plenty of ups and downs in their life since getting married in May 2019. “While I am ultimately glad that I did it all sober, I would be lying if I acted as though it was easy,” she wrote.
After Burke filed for divorce from Lawrence in February, citing irreconcilable differences, their marriage was officially dissolved last month.
The Burke In the Game podcast host explained on an episode earlier this month that they will “maybe go to trial” in January over custody of Ysabella, unless Lawrence “calls it off.”
Burke held back tears as she spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the situation during Disney+ Night on DWTS: “Oh, I’m gonna cry. It’s just really sad, you know.”
“It sucks because, for me, it’s just cruel,” Burke added. “She’s my dog, and it was a gift from my ex, and I hope that this soon, you know, dies down, and he calls it off. Because you’re taking, like, my daughter away from me.”
As a long time fan of Cheryl Burke I can’t imagine how a man can fall out of love with her. Obviously relationships are complicated. Maybe the drinking was a really bad thing that went to far to be tolerated. I hope somebody new falls in love with Cheryl in the future.
Dear Cheryl I have been sober for 17 years. I am very proud of you! Patrick McAleer