Cheryl Burke Is Unrecognizable After Her Drastic Face Transformation

Many fans who have followed Cheryl Burke since the beginning would argue that in 2025, she looks totally different than she did during her "Dancing with the Stars" debut in 2006. The professional dancer had everyone talking about her drastic face transformation in May 2025 when she opened up to Entertainment Tonight about rampant speculation she's had plastic surgery. The TV star denied going under the knife, joining the ranks of celebs who transformed after taking Ozempic or other GLP-1's, or having health issues. But that certainly didn't silence the chatter. "THAT'S Cheryl Burke???? No way!!" one fan commented on the Instagram upload of the interview. Another chimed in, "I mean she changed her whole face- [didn't] even recognize her!!!!! She looks completely different."

Also that month, Burke hit back at all the gossip over her appearance on Instagram. In the video, which showed her removing her makeup, she told fans, "I didn't get a face transplant, and no, I didn't get a brow lift. The level of projection that is happening and that I'm witnessing is wild." She also made it clear she didn't appreciate the negative talk regarding her changing features, writing in the caption, "I don't owe you an explanation for my healing or for anything quite frankly. Let this be the last time I have to say it." But, unfortunately, that wasn't the last time Burke felt she had to speak about her appearance on social media.

In August 2025, Cheryl Burke took to Instagram again to deny plastic surgery rumors. In addition to denying once again that she'd gone under the knife, the dancer also rebuffed allegations she'd gotten fillers or had her skin bleached. "My skin tone shift is just what happens when you swap tanning beds for SPF and let your natural half-Pinay, half-white self come through. That's it. That's the 'mystery,'" she shared. The "Dance Moms" star also told Us Weekly she hadn't been keeping up with "Dancing with the Stars"' trademark faux tan since she left the show in 2022 (which luckily means no fake tan fails). "My skin color was 20 shades darker," she said. "...I'm learning and realizing who I am underneath all of the makeup, without the tanning beds, the spray tans, all of the extra stuff that I now call a mask."

However, Burke did admit to getting one skin altering treatment; Botox. "You can age gracefully and still enjoy a little Botox. Stop confusing it with plastic surgery," she wrote on Instagram. Of course, Botox isn't all about vanity, as it can have health benefits. Regardless, it seems Burke isn't ashamed to admit to it she receives the injectable. She wouldn't be alone, either. According to SpaMedica, in 2022, it was estimated over 7 million women receive Botox.

That said, Burke's changed appearance likely isn't just attributed to the neurotoxin. The star told People in May 2025 she'd lost around 35 pounds. Burke explained that she changed her eating habits to focus on fresh foods, intermittent fasting, eating breakfast, and not eating late at night. "I just want people to know that I'm not sick and I have never gone under the knife for anything. I didn't get a brow lift, I didn't get a face transplant. This is my body and this is how I feel best in it today," she said.