Cheryl Burke has released a formal statement now that she's had time to digest last night's Dancing with the Stars protest against her celebrity partner Ryan Lochte.
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"Thank you to everyone for your concern. I'm still trying to process everything that happened last night. My heart is aching for Ryan and his family. No one deserves that sort of behavior directed at them," Burke wrote.
After Burke and Lochte performed their foxtrot routine last night and were being critiqued by judge Carrie Ann Inaba, two protesters -- Los Angeles residents Sam Sododeh and Barzeen Soroudi -- ambushed Lochte onstage and were tackled and escorted out of the studio by Dancing with the Stars security.
The two men were arrested and booked for trespassing, and are currently being held at Metropolitan Detention Center in LA with bail set at $1,000 each.
Burke continued, "We all need to love each other and not be bullies or cowards. Let's all just be positive for each other. My heartfelt thanks goes out to the security team at Dancing with the Stars. Love you all, Xoxo Cheryl."
The protesters told authorities Lochte had endangered Americans by fabricating a story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Olympics when, in actuality, he helped to vandalize a gas station, according to ABC News.
While it was clearly a wild scene in the DWTS ballroom last night, viewers only saw a split-screen featuring a shocked Inaba and a replay of Lochte and Burke's dance next to her.
"Everyone was freaked out, especially Ryan and Cheryl," an eyewitness told E! News. "They were just frozen the entire time in utter shock."
Host Tom Bergeron cut to a commercial break immediately after the moment, but upon the broadcast's return, a visibly shaken Lochte told the audience there were "so many feelings" going through his head and he was "a little hurt."
Burke was also "hurt" for Lochte, saying during Monday night's episode that he's "sweet and kind" and also "working his butt off" learning to dance when he's clearly out of his comfort zone. The two-time mirrorball trophy champion added, "I hope people give him a chance."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
