Okay, let’s just cut to the chase, because honestly, my jaw dropped a little when I saw this headline. Sharna Burgess, from Dancing With The Stars fame – and look, she’s always struck me as this super confident, vibrant, all-around amazing human, right? But then she drops this bomb: “I struggled with binging and restricting mostly.” Mostly. Like that’s just a casual add-on. And that, my friends, is exactly why we need to talk about it. Because it’s not casual at all. It’s a nightmare. A silent, grinding, soul-sucking nightmare that so many people – way more than you think – are living through right now, probably even someone you know and love.

The Dancers’ Secret – Not So Secret Anymore

You see, when Sharna said she struggled with binging and restricting, it wasn’t just some throwaway line. It was a window into a world that, for all its glitz and glamour, is actually pretty damn brutal. The dance world. The performance world. It’s all about looking a certain way, fitting a certain mold, having a body that moves perfectly and looks “right” in every costume. And let’s be real, “right” usually means thin. Really thin. And that pressure? Oh man, it’s immense. It’s relentless. It’s the kind of pressure that can bend even the strongest people until they break, or at least, until they start doing things to their bodies that are just, well, not healthy. Not sustainable. Not human, if I’m being honest.

I’ve seen this pattern before. Countless times. Not just with dancers, though they’re definitely a huge part of the demographic. Actors, models, gymnasts, even people in corporate settings where appearance is inexplicably tied to perceived competence. They get caught in this vicious cycle. The binging feels like a release, a moment of wild, uncontrolled pleasure in a life that’s otherwise tightly controlled. And then the restriction? That’s the penance. That’s the desperate attempt to regain control, to “fix” what they feel they’ve broken, to get back to that elusive “ideal” body. It’s an exhausting, self-punishing loop that leaves you feeling worse than when you started. And it makes you feel so, so alone.

The Performance Trap

The thing is, when you’re a performer, your body isn’t just your body. It’s your instrument. It’s part of your job. And suddenly, that instrument becomes subject to external scrutiny, to the opinions of choreographers, directors, producers, and ultimately, the audience. And when you’re young, just starting out, trying to make your mark in a cutthroat industry? You’ll do almost anything to get ahead. You’ll believe almost anything someone tells you about what your body should look like. And you’ll probably internalize it, too. This wasn’t just Sharna’s “secret” for her, it’s the unspoken reality for so many who live under that bright stage light.

But Wait, Doesn’t Everyone Struggle Sometimes?

Yeah, sure, everyone has moments where they eat too much pizza or feel guilty about that second slice of cake. But that’s not what Sharna’s talking about. She’s talking about a full-blown struggle, a pattern, a psychological and physical battle that dictates your life. This isn’t just a “diet gone wrong.” This is an eating disorder. And that’s a whole different ballgame. It’s not about willpower; it’s about deeply ingrained behaviors and thought patterns that are incredibly hard to break free from without serious help. And frankly, that help often isn’t readily available or even acknowledged in these high-pressure environments.

“I struggled with binging and restricting mostly,” the former ‘DWTS’ pro said. “It was hard. My body was under scrutiny from the time I was eight years old when I started competing. There was always someone telling me I wasn’t good enough, or I was too fat, or I wasn’t pretty enough.”

There it is. That quote. It hits you, doesn’t it? “Someone telling me I wasn’t good enough, or I was too fat, or I wasn’t pretty enough.” From eight years old! Eight! Who says that to an eight-year-old? And how does that kind of toxic messaging not mess you up? How does it not warp your entire perception of yourself, your body, your worth? It creates this deep-seated insecurity that can fester for years, decades even, and manifest in these destructive ways. It’s heartbreaking, really. And it’s infuriating that it’s still so prevalent.

The Echo Chamber of “Perfection”

And let’s not pretend this is just a dance thing, or a Hollywood thing. This “binge and restrict” cycle is fueled by so much of our culture. Social media, for one. Everyone’s “perfect” life, everyone’s “perfect” body, always airbrushed, always filtered, always presented in the most flattering light. It creates an echo chamber of impossible standards. And if you’re already feeling vulnerable, if you’re already internalizing those messages from your childhood, it just pours gasoline on the fire. You scroll, you compare, you feel worse, and then the cycle just tightens its grip. It’s a cruel feedback loop.

I mean, who among us hasn’t felt that pressure, even just a little? To look a certain way for a vacation, for a wedding, for a social event. But for people like Sharna, and countless others, it’s not a fleeting thought. It’s a constant, nagging voice. A demon on their shoulder whispering all the worst things. And it just sucks. It truly does. We’ve got to stop normalizing this idea that extreme thinness equals health or beauty or success. Because it doesn’t. Not when it comes at the cost of your mental and physical well-being. Not when it leads to binging and restricting, which are basically your body and mind screaming for help.

What This Actually Means

Sharna’s confession isn’t just a celebrity headline; it’s a wake-up call. It’s a reminder that even the most outwardly confident, successful people are battling their own demons, often in silence. It means we need to be kinder. We need to be more aware. And we need to seriously rethink the messaging we’re sending to young people, especially young girls, about their bodies and their worth. Because if an eight-year-old is being told she’s “too fat,” we’re doing something terribly, fundamentally wrong as a society.

It also means that if you’re struggling with this yourself, you’re not alone. Far from it. And there’s help out there. It’s not a sign of weakness to admit you need it; it’s a sign of incredible strength. Sharna spoke up, and that takes guts. Really big guts. And her doing that? It probably helps someone else out there feel a little less alone, a little less ashamed. And that, I think, is a beautiful, messy, important thing. Let’s try to make it less of a secret nightmare and more of an open conversation. Because honestly, we all deserve better than to be stuck in that cycle…