(PEOPLE.com) -- As any fan of "Dancing with the Stars" knows, Cheryl Burke exudes confidence when she's waltzing, quick-stepping or doing the tango in front of millions.
But for the two-time "DWTS" champ, life wasn't always so smooth: As a child, Burke was repeatedly molested by a friend of her family's -- and testified against him in court, helping send him to prison for nearly two decades.
"I'm telling my story," says Burke, 26, who opens up about the molestation -- and other struggles, including physical abuse by two former boyfriends -- in her new book "Dancing Lessons," (coauthored by PEOPLE senior writer Monica Rizzo). "They're not secrets. There's no shame."
Burke's abuser was a retired mailman who was trusted and well liked in Burke's Bay Area community. He would sometimes pick Burke up from school and do odd jobs around her home. The assaults began when she was 5.
Now, with season 12 of "DWTS" beginning in March, Burke is ready to tell her story. "If I can help just one person," she says, "for me that's all that matters."
via CNN.com
