Cheryl Burke says staying sober has been a 'challenge'

June 30 (UPI) -- Cheryl Burke is sharing her struggles with sobriety.

The 37-year-old television personality and professional dancer said in an Instagram post Tuesday that staying sober has been a "challenge" recently.

"To say that my sobriety has been easy would be a lie. I've decided to make sure I hold myself accountable by sharing with you how hard it has been to maintain my sobriety," Burke wrote.

"When I keep secrets or don't tell my truth to everyone, including my followers, that's when it gets scary for me. So, thank you in advance for your encouraging words and love," she said.

In a candid video, Burke said she's been tempted to drink again more frequently lately.

"I'm here to confess that lately staying sober has been a little bit of a challenge for me. And recently I've been thinking a lot, I have to admit, about drinking again," she said. "So, I decided to hold myself accountable by confessing my anxious feelings."

Burke said there are "multiple" triggers in her life that have made it harder to stay sober, including "something bothering me that I don't necessarily want to feel or face."

"There's so much chaos going on in my life right now. In the past, everyone always used to say, 'How do you do it all?' But I did it all because I was numbing through it all," she said. "Now, for the first time, through all the chaos, I'm actually having to feel it and be uncomfortable while I'm feeling it."

Burke said she is "really committed" to staying sober and is trying not to be too harsh on herself.

"Some days can be harder than others. I know that my feelings are completely normal, so I'm trying not to feel shame or judge myself, but it's hard," she said.

Burke discussed her "life-altering decision" to get sober in an interview on Good Morning America in October. She said she first got sober following her engagement to former Boy Meets World star Matthew Lawrence in 2018.

"He is just my rock," Burke said of Lawrence. "I don't know where I would be without him."

Burke said she also found support in her DWTS Season 29 partner, Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean, who is sober as well.

"It's crazy, because I truly believe that people in your life come into your life because they are a reflection of you somehow," she said. "He has taught me patience and it's okay to be vulnerable."

DWTS will return for a 30th season this year.