Cheryl Burke
David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartRadioWhen Cheryl Burke When she was 9 years old, she testified in court against a guard who had sexually assaulted her and her half-sister.
The old Dancing with the stars pro recalled the traumatic experience from the Monday, January 20 episode of Quite old podcast.
“We were both sexually assaulted by the same person, the caretaker who was taking care of us,” Burke, 40, said. “And then it was my sister’s best friend who ran home and told her mother. This is why he was sentenced: he was supposed to be sentenced to life in prison, but he got out. »
During her trial, “I was already almost lighting up,” she continued. “I will never forget the time I was testifying with this man sitting across from me. They wouldn’t even let my mom come with me, which was so crazy. I was 9 years old. And I was like, “Am I making this up? I was literally saying this to myself.
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Burke added: “I already felt, at 9 years old, like I was a pedophile. That’s how they made me feel.
She explained during her Quite old the appearance of a “professional dissociator” due to her past trauma, with which she attempts to reconcile.
“There’s no, ‘OK, I’m done with this part of my life,’” Burke said. “But I did so much work that I couldn’t handle the anger that I had towards this one person that I felt like I was slowly dying, so there had to be some sort of restoration of the peace. Not forgiveness of the act, by any means, but I had to create some sort of, “OK, this man was sick. »
However, she noted: “I don’t forgive. I don’t want people to take this the wrong way, as if I forgive him for his attack.
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Burke has previously spoken out about the abuse she suffered as a child, first in 2015 and later discussing how the ordeal went had an impact on her relationships with men as an adult.
She believes that in the future it will become more difficult for other victims to report their attackers.
“This is society today, man,” Burke said Quite oldadding: “Why would anyone want to come out and speak their truth when the person on the receiving end feels like they are doing something wrong?” And it’s so easy to annoy someone and all that statute of limitations. This is just bullshit, because it takes decades, even lifetimes, to finally realize or have some sort of realization: “Yeah, maybe I was raped. »
She added: “There has been no silver bullet to all of this. There isn’t one. And I don’t even want that to manifest in any way. There are no medications. There are no mushrooms. Believe me, I’ve tried everything. And it comes back tenfold unless you do the work, and my goodness, it doesn’t hurt. It’s painful. This work is painful.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).