Cheryl Burke is telling her story.
And the Dancing With the Stars pro has a message for any critics who have something to say about what she chooses to share about her life.
"Unfollow me," she exclusively told E! News at the IMARAïS Beauty by Sommer Ray x FL!P launch party in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. "Don't waste the time to comment because I do know for a fact that I'm helping at least one person. If that's what it is, so be it."
Burke also invites them to take a moment to reflect. "At the end of the day, those people I feel might need to take a note a little bit and really just understand that this is somebody's story," she continued. "I'm not making this up."
And while the 38-year-old does keep some things private, she said she feels like it's her responsibility to use her voice to support others.
"I also do keep things personal," she added. "But this, to me, is my duty. This is my duty from the platform that I have to share my story to hopefully, again, help one person know that they're not alone."
Burke recently opened up on the Nov. 2 episode of Red Table Talk. During the episode, she spoke about her divorce from Matthew Lawrence, her sobriety journey and the abuse she experienced as a child, saying that she was abused by a retired mailman who started grooming her when he began babysitting her at age 5 and that she was whipped with a belt by a high school boyfriend.
"I've always been an open book," Burke told E! News. "There's a lot of topics that I've discussed before, but I think now is a different time in this world that we're living in. I feel like mental health is a pandemic in itself. If we don't start having these uncomfortable conversations, there is no path to healing."
And she noted that she's received an outpouring of support following the episode. "I appreciate what the women do and I appreciate their work because it's not easy," she said about Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris and Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, who hosted her episode. "As far as response goes, everyone's been beautiful. It's been beautiful to see people even confess to me via DM because I read everything. I appreciate the vulnerability and I think that we'll have lot of more compassion and empathy for one another if we show our authentic selves."
- Reporting by Mike Vulpo