IF YOU GOShe: An Expo for Women takes place 11 a.m.-7 p.m. July 21 and noon-6 p.m. July 22 at Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza. Tickets are $12 at the door, $10 in advance at www.timesfreepress.com/she.
Cheryl Burke says if “Dancing With the Stars” fans believed everything tabloids printed about her, they’d think “I was a partier or I’d slept with all my partners. It’s pretty ridiculous. Just because I’m on a popular TV show, I get targeted. Everyone is watching every step.”
But four years ago, the tabloids took a weight potshot that really got under her skin — not just because it was insulting and embarrassing, but it also had the potential to affect her career.
“For any woman to see ‘Oh my gosh, she’s fat!’ — it’s a big deal,” Burke exclaimed in a phone interview about the 2008 tabloid furor over a five-pound weight gain. “But especially for me because I’m a dancer and an athlete, and I feel like I’m in great shape.”
Burke is the top female professional on ABC’s hit dancing competition. She’s the only female to win twice and has waltzed into the Final Four with her partners for eight of her 13 seasons on the show.