Entertainment TV Cheryl Burke Says Leaving DWTS 'Was Scary' and Admits She Still Has 'a Lot of Mixed Emotions' (Exclusive) The dancer, who hosts the podcast 'Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans' on iHeartRadio, spoke to PEOPLE for One Last Thing By Julie Jordan Julie Jordan Julie Jordan is an Editor at Large for PEOPLE. She has been with the brand for 25 years, writing cover stories and features and managing special issues including the Beautiful Issue and Sexiest Man Alive. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 20, 2024 10:00AM EST Close Cheryl Burke 2023. Photo: Joey Andrew/Startraks Cheryl Burke has learned to face her fears. Chatting with PEOPLE for this week's issue, the professional dancer — who left ABC's hit reality series Dancing with the Stars in November 2022 — admits saying goodbye to the show was one of the hardest things she's ever done. "I think my decision to leave the show was scary," says Burke, 39. "It had been 26 seasons. Either I was going to make the decision or when I was 50, they were." Cheryl Burke Describes — and Names — the Perfect Dance Partner: I Want a 'Good Person' (Exclusive) Eric McCandless/ABC/Getty Burke says her podcast, which delves into juicy behind-the-scenes insights on DWTS, has helped her come to terms with not being on the show anymore. "My therapist says normally I'm a professional runner, meaning I like to run away from my problems," she adds. "And now I have to actually face it and face my feelings and feel everything. There's a lot of mixed emotions happening, put it that way." Cheryl Burke Says She's a 'Work in Progress 'Til the Day I Die' amid Ongoing Mental Health Journey (Exclusive) iHeartPodcasts Burke, who hosts the podcast Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, spoke to the magazine for One Last Thing. Last perfect day offI’ve started to learn how to bake, and I didn’t know what a teaspoon versus a tablespoon was. But my parents flew in, and I baked all day. I’ll be Martha Stewart soon. Last fashion disasterMy first red carpet photo. I had no makeup on, my little Dumb and Dumber haircut and seashells glued on to my bootleg jeans. I don’t know what happened. Last moment of blissThere are a lot because I do Transcendental Meditation. It took me a while to get into it, but it really has helped. Last wardrobe malfunctionI was dancing on the show, and my mic pack fell out. But it had beige wrapping, so it looked like my boob. People were like, “What is that thing?” Actually I don’t think my boob would be able to flap around that much. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans is available on iHeartRadio.