“You just have to grow thick skin and continue on,” the former “Boy Meets World” star said.

Matthew Lawrence reveals why he doesn’t talk about Cheryl Burke divorce: ‘People that I care about know what’s real’

"You just have to grow thick skin and continue on," the former "Boy Meets World" star said.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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January 2, 2026 5:14 p.m. ET

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Matthew Lawrence; Cheryl Burke. Credit:

Vivien Killilea/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty

In the nearly three years since Matthew Lawrence split from ex-wife Cheryl Burke, the actor has learned a lot about having his romantic life so highly publicized.

Lawrence, who has refrained from speaking publicly about his split from the former *Dancing With the Stars* pro in the years since, made a rare comment addressing the breakup during an interview with *DailyMail* published Thursday.

"That's one of the interesting things about when you choose to be in a career like this is that your private life is public, so you have to live those things out on a public stage," Lawrence said. "And I don't think that's really fun for anybody, you know?"

He continued, adding, "Especially when you don't really have control of the narrative, or if the narrative isn't even true, you kind of just have to say, 'Well, I'm going to have to just go on with my life and continue to live the life I want to live. And the people that I care about know what's real and what's not. And, you just have to grow thick skin and continue on."

Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke in 2018.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Burke and Lawrence met one another when Lawrence's brother Joey Lawrence, was a contestant on season 3 of *DWTS. *The former couple tied the knot in 2019, and split three years later.

Burke has been vocal about her perspective on the divorce in the past. During a 2024 appearance on Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' podcast, the dancer said that she "learned a lot" during the marriage. "I learned that you can't buy love," Burke said. "Obviously, I didn't buy my ex-husband, but I definitely would say I was the breadwinner."

Bringing home the bacon made Burke "feel good, but then it didn't necessarily make the relationship good," she added.

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Then, speaking with Jana Kramer on the *I Do, Part Two* podcast in October 2025, Burke said she was still "grieving" the relationship breakdown, which happened around the same time she exited *DWTS* after 26 seasons.**** "It wasn't just the divorce with my ex. It was the divorce with *Dancing With the Stars* all in one year, and then leaving my home I lived in for 16 years and I moved to where I am today," Burke explained. "So it's like, it's just, it was all happening in one year, and those are three big life changes. They say, if you hit five in one year, you're most likely going to check into the nearest mental institution."

Brothers Joey Lawrence and Matthew Lawrence in 2025.

Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

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Lawrence began dating TLC's Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas in January 2023, and the couple is now cohosting Hallmark+'s new unscripted series *Second Chance Love*. The series gives five couples the opportunity to reconnect in Sardinia, Italy.

But for any fans hoping to learn more about the pair's romance from watching the show, Lawrence shared that he was interested in the series because it wouldn't focus on showcasing their relationship*.*

"It was about these people and what the mission statement is that it's kind of, you know, seeing if that person that you constantly thought about from your past is something that maybe could have a future or if it should be left in the past, and we like that Hallmark really wanted to focus on that," Lawrence told the outlet. "It wasn't about our relationship or doing a reality show about us. That was not going to be cool for us."**

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