ON TAKING OVER FOR ABBY LEE MILLER ON DANCE MOMS… I Refuse to Yell at My Students!

Thebiginterview The pro dancer talks about her kinder, gentler approach to coaching with… CHERYL BURKE

Cheryl Burke relishes a challenge. Last spring, with just a few days’ notice, she replaced Abby Lee Miller — who’s known for her overly aggressive coaching style — when the controversial Dance Moms star walked off the Lifetime show’s set in the middle of shooting Season 7 (she was sentenced to a year in prison for bankruptcy fraud crimes weeks later and is serving time in a California penitentiary). “My teaching style is completely different from Abby’s,” Cheryl tells In Touch. “I don’t remember the last time I yelled!” Cheryl, 33, who makes her Dance Moms debut this month and is currently competing on Season 25 of Dancing With the Stars, talks to In Touch’s Katie Bruno about drama queens, settling down with her actor boyfriend Matthew Lawrence, 37, and her pricey guilty pleasure.

Did you feel pressure to fill Abby’s shoes? CB: Absolutely. This is television and I know people want to see drama. But I thought, I just have to be myself, which is stern, strict but still compassionate. I am not a yeller.

Do you approve of her methods? CB: No. From what I’ve heard from the moms and girls, they’ve been traumatized by their experiences. It’s no good to be calling girls names. You’re not inspiring them to become better artists…you’re making them feel like crap.

How is your coaching style different? CB: I don’t waste people’s time. I go in there and do my job. And the moms have to ask my permission to come into the studio.

Who’s harder to deal with — the dancers or the moms? CB: The moms! They feed into gossip and drama. When these kids go home, that’s the last thing they need to hear.

You and Matthew got back together last year, 10 years after you first dated. How’d that happen? CB: Right before Christmas, a mutual friend was like, “Oh, Matt wants to say ‘hi.’” I just said, “Merry Christmas, I hope all is well.” We had dinner right before New Year’s Eve and that was that. We’ve spent every day together since.

What’s different now? CB: We’ve grown up so much and we want the same thing, which is to settle down.

Are marriage and kids in the future? CB: I would love that. Hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.

What do you want to do next? CB: I would love to judge DWTS, host a show, write another book about my life. I have so much more to give and I am never satisfied! ◼