DWTS champ reveals painful past

In Cheryl Burke's upcoming autobiography, "Dancing Lessons: How I Found Passion and Potential on the Dance Floor and in Life," the two-time "Dancing With the Stars" champ reveals she was molested as a child and later physically abused by two boyfriends.

"I'm telling my story," Burke, 26, told People.com Wednesday, ahead of her feature story in the print edition Friday. "They're not secrets," she said. "There's no shame."

The book, solely bylined by Burke though the magazine said it was co-authored by People senior writer Monica Rizzo, tells of her being assaulted beginning at age 5 by a retired mail carrier who was trusted and liked in the wealthy Bay Area town of Atherton, Calif.

After repeated molestation by this family friend who would sometimes pick her up at school and do odd jobs around her home, she testified against him in court after she learned he'd been accused of targeting other children. He was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.

Burke's Filipino mother, Sherri Bautista-Burke, and her Russian/Irish father separated when Cheryl was a baby. That left a void the molester exploited.

Burke told People, "I felt guilty for wanting his love and affection." In fact, testifying against him, she said, was "the hardest thing I've ever done. . . . I saw his face, and [his] lawyers were asking me these questions and I was like, 'What am I doing? Did he even do anything wrong?' "

Her family life did stabilize. Burke and her older sister were raised with the help of their stepfather, Dr. Robert Wolf, and they have a younger half sister, Nicole Wolf.

SEE PHOTOSDancing badly with the stars

Her book, due out Feb. 8, includes details of her celebrity dance partners, such as Drew Lachey, Tom DeLay and Ian Ziering, and per the book's promotional material also tells "which 'Dancing With the Stars' partner Cheryl came close to dating."

As for Burke's more serious revelations, "If I can help just one person," she told People, "for me that's all that matters."