News broke on February 23 that Dancing With The Stars pro, Cheryl Burke filed for divorce from her husband, Matthew Lawrence. TMZ first reported the news, and it was later confirmed when PEOPLE obtained the court documents from a Los Angeles courthouse.There might have been some rough patches in their relationship, but this came as a total shock. Matthew was there for Cheryl when she was going through her sobriety. It took them a while to get together, and their story is like something you would see in a movie, but this one didn't get the fairytale ending. The couple appeared quite happy together, so what went wrong?Although the couple has stayed pretty low-key and out of the spotlight throughout their relationship, we do know a good amount about their relationship, including how they first met. Here's everything we know about Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence's relationship and their divorce.
10 How Cheryl Burke And Matthew Lawrence Met
Dancing With The Stars has formed a lot of relationships, but this one was not between partners. Burke was partnered with Joey Lawrence, Matthew's older brother, on season 3 of the show. He introduced Burke to Matthew in 2006, and they fell quickly for each other. "There was an attraction right away," Burke told PEOPLE. "But we were both really young."
9 Cheryl Burke And Matthew Lawrence's Dating Life
Shortly after being introduced the couple began dating in 2007. However, their romance was short-lived, as they broke up one year later. The exes parted amicably and stayed friends but went on to date other people before finally meeting up again nearly ten years later.
8 Rekindling Their Romance
No, it is not the plot of a book, it is their real romance story. Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence rekindled their relationship in February 2017 and confirmed they were back together after Lawrence posted a photo of them together on his Instagram of their vacation in the Caribbean. "I’ve never seen Cheryl so happy and so at peace,” a source told US Weekly at the time.
7 Cheryl Burke Said Yes!
After only dating for a year, the couple announced they were engaged in May 2018. Cheryl Burke posted a photo of her and her fiancé, sporting a big ring and captioned it, "OMG! So far so good for 34! #amilliontimesyes #imengaged #herecomesthebride." Matthew Lawrence proposed shortly after her 34th birthday celebration and used the same ring her late father gave her mother.
6 Cheryl Burke And Matthew Lawrence's Wedding
They didn't wait long! Just about a year after getting engaged the couple became husband and wife on May 23, 2019, in San Diego, CA. Lawrence's brothers were his best men, while Burke had Leah Remini, her sister and Kym Herjavec in her bridal party. “Matt brings out the best in me,” Burke told PEOPLE days before the wedding.
5 Matthew Lawrence And Cheryl Burke's Plan For Kids
They didn't want to waste any time. Talking to PEOPLE, Cheryl Burke said her and Matthew Lawrence did want kids, but never had any. “I want to have kids. [When we got back together] it was like, ‘Let’s not waste any time. Time’s a tickin’!’" she told the outlet.
4 Cheryl Burke And Matthew Lawrence During The Pandemic
In April 2020, Cheryl Burke told US Weekly, that their first year of marriage "had been great," but had "tested us for sure." The coronavirus quarantine added to the ups and downs of the year, but she felt a sense of peace. Matthew Lawrence added that they were "doing good" but had a few fights while in lockdown. “It’s just the constant communication. When you stop that communication and when you don’t try every day is when things start to slowly fall apart.”
3 How Matthew Lawrence Supported Cheryl Burke
While Cheryl Burke made the decision on her own to get sober, her husband had been there for her through it all. "He is just my rock," she told Good Morning America exclusively. "I don't know where I would be without him." The dancer made the decision to stop drinking at her engagement party in 2018. She attributed quitting to her late father, who fought and overcame alcoholism. Burke first started drinking when she joined Dancing With The Stars and partied all the time.
Not only did Matthew Lawrence help Cheryl with her mental health during that time, but he also made sure she was eating and helped her to balance her busy schedule. He also bought her a puppy in 2020, which they named Yasbella.
2 Matthew Lawrence Was Cheryl Burke's First Non-Toxic Relationship
In 2020, Burke opened up on Instagram about her pattern of dating toxic men, but Matthew was the exception. “Looking back, I honestly think that the first relationship I ever had that did not fit this abusive pattern was when my now-husband Matt and I dated the first time around back in 2007,” she posted. "I honestly think at the time when we first dated, I didn’t clearly love myself enough to think that I deserved to be with someone who was actually nice to me. And I was just wrapped up in this new get-out-of-jail-free card, L.A.-party lifestyle, whereas he had already kind of been there and done that, since he grew up in this industry.”
Burke added that she is “so grateful and happy” the pair reconnected and that “he’s the complete opposite of everything bad about my past relationships.”
1 Cheryl Burke And Matthew Lawrence's Divorce Details
TMZ announced that Cheryl Burke, 37, filed for divorce from Matthew Lawrence, 42, after three years of marriage. According to court documents obtained by US Weekly, the DWTS pro submitted the paperwork on February 18, 2022, and the date of separation was listed at January 7, 2021. The reason given was "irreconcilable differences."
The divorce papers also noted that the couple has a pre-nuptial agreement in place. Neither Burke nor Lawrence has commented on the divorce and their social media still features pictures of them together.