Matthew Lawrence is sharing what it was like dealing with a marital breakdown in the public eye after his well-publicized split from his ex-wife Cheryl Burke.
The 45-year-old actor addressed the breakup in an interview with Daily Mail posted on Thursday, January 1 when asked what it was like to bond with his new partner Chile (real name Rozonda Tomás), after their public divorce. (The former couple married in 2019 before Burke filed for divorce in 2022.)
“That’s one of the interesting things about when you decide to be in a career like this is that your private life is public, so you have to live these things on a public stage,” he told the outlet. “And I don’t think it’s much fun for anyone, you know?”
Lawrence, who has mostly remained relatively open about her split from Burke over the years, added that it was difficult to deal with other people’s versions of what went wrong in her marriage.
Reflecting on his past. Matthew Lawrence talked about the important lesson he learned from his relationships and apparently offered some insight into what caused his split from Cheryl Burke. “I discovered that this was the reason why I was so off track when it came to relationships. I ended up getting involved with (…)
“Especially when you’re not really in control of the narrative or if the narrative isn’t even true, you just have to say, ‘Well, I’m going to have to get on with my life and keep living the life I want to live.’ And the people I care about know what’s real and what’s not,” he continued. “And you just have to grow a thick skin and keep going.”
ancient Dancing with the stars Burke, 41, has been open about her thoughts on her divorce from Lawrence in the past. Speaking on the “I Do, Part 2” podcast in October 2025, Burke admitted she was still “grieving” the relationship breakdown, which happened at the same time she left DWTS after 26 seasons.
“It wasn’t just the divorce with my ex, it was the divorce with mine Dancing with the stars all in one year, and then leaving my house that I lived in for 16 years and moving to where I am today,” Burke explained. “So it’s like, it’s all happening in one year, and those are three big life changes. They say if you get to five in a year, you’re most likely going to be checked into the nearest mental institution.”
Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke.
(Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)Burke added, “To say that I haven’t suffered or that I still hurt sometimes would also be a lie. I think it can be both, you know? I know I had to basically cut through both divorces so that I could look at what I see in the mirror and I really like the person that I see.”
In October 2024, Burke also claimed in a different episode of the same podcast that financial problems negatively affected their marriage. She wondered aloud if Lawrence felt “emasculated” by earning less than her.
“I knew what I was marrying. I knew what I was getting into financially,” Burke said at the time. “I’m not going to speak for him. I’m not here to badmouth him, but I think there’s that gender role.”
She continued: “A man can feel a bit emasculated when he’s not making most of the money. I think that may have taken its toll.”
Root for him? Cheryl Burke shared her unfiltered thoughts after ex-husband Matthew Lawrence revealed he’s ‘trying’ to have children with TLC’s Chilli. The Dancing With the Stars alum, 38, opened up about her divorce from actor Mrs. Doubtfire, 43, during an interview on “The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever with Chris Harrison”, noting that she (…)
For his part, the Mrs. Doubtfire The star moved on with Chilli and the couple are now happier than ever since they tied the knot in late 2022.
“I wouldn’t have been ready for this kind of relationship in my 20s. No way,” Lawrence explained exclusively Us Weekly of his romance with Chilli on December 19 last year.
He added that even in his 30s, he may still not be ready for the kind of love he and the TLC singer share. But now, the timing was perfect.
“I think I would definitely have responded the same way, but I don’t know if I would have had the maturity or the experience to know what the other side is like, so I would appreciate it as much as I do,” he explained. we