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Cheryl Burke Reveals She and Matthew Lawrence Were in Couple's Therapy Before Divorce: 'We Did Try'

Christina Dugan Ramirez
3 min read

Cheryl Burke is opening up about some intimate details surrounding her marriage.

In an exclusive clip of Wednesday's episode of Tamron Hall, the Dancing with the Stars pro, 38, revealed that she was in couple's therapy with ex Matthew Lawrence during their nearly three-year-long marriage — and explained why she doesn't have any regrets.

"I'm a huge advocate for therapy," she told Hall. "I truly believe in it. Matt and I, we definitely, we were in couple's therapy, even before our marriage. I think people associate therapy with like, 'Oh my god, there's a problem.'"

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"But really I think it's very healthy to have that third person there that's not biased and that can give you ways and tools on how to communicate," she continued. "I don't regret any of that. I think that was very helpful for both of us."

"Emotions and feelings can get in the way and can get misconstrued. I'm a huge advocate for that," she added. "We definitely did try. People evolve. People grow. And sometimes they grow together and sometimes they unfortunately grow apart."

Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke
Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

RELATED: DWTS' Cheryl Burke Opens Up About Connecting with Her Feelings and Mental Health After Split

In February, Burke filed for divorce from Lawrence, 42, whom she wed in May 2019.

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Burke and Lawrence's official date of separation was listed as Jan. 7 in court documents obtained by PEOPLE. The papers cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, and indicated that they signed a prenuptial agreement.

Lawrence later responded to the filing, which was obtained by PEOPLE, and asked for the court to terminate spousal support for either person. He also requested that the former couple's prenuptial agreement be upheld, which would determine the division of assets.

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Since the split, Burke has been focused on healing and is continuing to work on herself.

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"I've realized that whenever I am at a point in my life where I have some big emotions to process, the best thing for me to do is to spend some time alone - other than being with [my dog] Ysa of course, but I truly feel like she is a part of me, so she doesn't count," Burke wrote on Instagram. "If I'm being honest, really feeling my feelings is new to me."

Noting that she has spent her "entire life up to this point trying to numb" her feelings, the dancer continued, "I'm learning that really going through them is A LOT harder. I guess all of that is to say, to truly experience my feelings, whatever they may be, being alone for a few days has been the best thing for me."

RELATED VIDEO: Matthew Lawrence Responds to Cheryl Burke's Divorce Filing, Asks Judge to Terminate Spousal Support

Burke's appearance on Tamron Hall comes shortly after she announced that she will be launching her newest podcast on iHeartRadio, Burke In The Game — a podcast that will encourage her to face her fears as she learns to love herself again and gear up for her next adventure.

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"This is the first time I think anyone, including myself, is going to see or hear me be as vulnerable as I have to be," Burke exclusively told PEOPLE. "I'm always hiding behind the mirror ball."

"This is really opening up my life, which I feel like comes natural, but I also have to be okay to open up my heart," she continued. "This is a really trying time for me right now in my life, and I think naturally what I tend to do is I tend to build a wall. And I am not attainable in that sense, but I think this is part of my work, is to let that guard down regardless of feelings and being able to be okay with that."

Burke's fan-interactive podcast will launch May 10 and air new episodes every Tuesday on iHeartRadio.

Tamron Hall airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings.

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