The Reason Matthew Lawrence & Cheryl Burke Split Isn't A Secret Anymore

Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence's relationship ended in 2022, when the "Dancing with the Stars" pro filed for divorce after three years of marriage. At the time, Burke cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, but in May 2024, she began offering more details about what happened including allegations of infidelity and struggles over the couple's income levels. However, the divorce wasn't the first time that Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence broke up.

Burke and the "Boy Meets World" actor were an item before they reconnected in 2017. The two dated between 2007 and 2008, after meeting in 2006 when Lawrence's brother Joey was a contestant on "DWTS." But the romance was short-lived. Lawrence had a hard time coping with Burke's struggles with sobriety and constant partying. "It was now four, five in the morning she was coming home. It was just too much. And so yeah, I ended it," he said on Burke's "Pretty Messed Up" podcast in 2020.

In August 2018, Cheryl Burke found sobriety. She was inspired to face her alcohol addiction after the March 2018 death of her father, who was an alcoholic. "Either I was gonna crash and burn and check myself into rehab or I was gonna just quit cold turkey," she told Us Weekly in 2020. She also credits her engagement to Lawrence for giving her the necessary push. While their marriage ultimately didn't last, Burke still wishes Lawrence nothing but happiness.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Six months after filing for divorce from Matthew Lawrence, Cheryl Burke made some cryptic social media posts suggesting she had been cheated on. "When he said he would never talk to her again yet I found text messages, viagra, and a necklace hidden in a pair of his shoes..." she wrote over a TikTok clip of herself looking unamused in August 2022. She added in the caption: "The last time is absolutely right! Goodbye forever."

In the comments section, some users cautioned that Burke could have been seeing someone else since splitting from Lawrence. However, she gave a strong indication that she was referring to her soon-to-be ex-husband a month later via another TikTok post. In the clip, she lip-synced to a "Modern Love" scene in which Dev Patel's Joshua confronts Caitlin McGee's Emma about her cheating on him. Over the image, she included a checklist with the words: "Kick him out of my house; Hire divorce attorney; File for divorce."

It doesn't get much more clear than that. While infidelity may have been the last straw, Burke and Lawrence had also struggled with power imbalances in the relationship. "I definitely would say I was the breadwinner," she said on the "Amy & T.J." podcast in April 2024. Burke didn't mind that dynamic, but it took a toll on the marriage. "It made me feel good, but then it didn't necessarily make the relationship good," she added.

Matthew Lawrence wasted no time moving on from Cheryl Burke. A month after the divorce filing, he met TLC's Chilli at 90s Con in March 2022 and the two started dating a few months later. Burke was not impressed by the timing. "That was fast..." she wrote in an Instagram Story in January 2023 (via Us Weekly). Lawrence, however, wasn't fazed, and he didn't stop professing his love for his new girlfriend. "I've never gotten to be able to experience that kind of relationship before, so it's quite special," he told ET in March 2023.

Lawrence also showed he's not afraid to take his relationship with Chilli to the next level by admitting to ET that he hopes to start a family. A few days later, Chilli clarified that she and Lawrence weren't trying to get pregnant, but she also wasn't opposed to the idea. "I would never say that [I'm done with families]," she said on the "Ryan Cameron Uncensored" radio show (via Page Six). She wants to be married first, though.

And Burke is cheering for them. "I really, truly hope he can actually have a kid with Chilli. I think that's amazing because that's what he always wanted," she said on "The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison" in March 2023. The topic of having children was an issue in their marriage with Burke's career and struggles with body dysmorphia preventing her from pursuing kids. "With dance in general, that comes into play," she said.