The Stunning Transformation Of Brooke Burke

Brooke Burke has worn many hats during her years in the public eye. Since her earliest exposure as a model through to her later success as a TV host, she's been a ubiquitous presence on television for more than two decades. Yet that's just part of a larger whole for a woman who can also add mother, entrepreneur, social media influencer, fitness leader, author, and actor to her impressive list of accomplishments.

Having recently hit the half-century mark, Burke admitted in a 2022 interview with The List that coming to that milestone took some getting used to. "Turning 50 was a little bit of a mind f***," she said. However, she'd come to accept the positives that accompanied entering her fifth decade. "I feel better today in my life, to be honest, than I ever have, so that's the good side of it," she added. "Wisdom, understanding my body, learning, being more open, understanding the value of positive self-talk, all of the things that I [use to] guide and teach other women."

The years in between, however, have taken her on an amazing journey, full of new experiences — some good, some not — and personal and professional achievement. To find out more, read further to experience the stunning transformation of Brooke Burke.

Brooke Burke was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1971, the middle kid among six siblings. Her family life, however, became somewhat unstable when her parents split up when she was two years old. After the divorce, her mother took her and her siblings to Tucson. To make ends meet, her mom worked three jobs and eventually remarried. Burke apparently went through a bit of a wild phase as a teenager. As she told Esquire, her stepfather would block their home's side door with his car to prevent her from sneaking out at night; she did anyhow, exiting via a window.

For the teenager, becoming famous wasn't on her radar at all. Then, fate intervened when she tagged along with a friend who visited a model agency and attracted the attention of a talent scout who suggested she give modeling a shot. It wasn't long after that she entered the Miss Hawaiian Tropic beauty pageant and won. 

Burke was just 19 when she left Arizona and headed to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she studied broadcast journalism and did some modeling on the side to make some extra cash.

While going to college, Brooke Burke began modeling for Frederick's of Hollywood, a famed purveyor of sexy lingerie. Her appearances in the company's catalogs led to higher-profile modeling gigs in advertisements for various companies. Interviewed for QRO, Burke revealed that everything changed overnight when a friend sent her on an audition for a new travel show, and she was hired to host E!'s "Wild On!" "I accepted the gig and learned on the road and got all of my entertainment experience within my first contract on E!," she said, recalling her trial-by-fire entry into the world of television. 

Replacing original host Jules Asner, Burke hosted "Wild On!" from 1999 until 2002, with each episode partnering her with a different celebrity to explore the culture and cuisine of various exotic locales, participating in all manner of thrill-seeking activities along the way. "It was one of those epic shows before reality television was reality TV," she observed during an interview with the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast. "I did some bats*** crazy stuff ... from skydiving to swimming with sharks to flying rockets, to, like, eating weird stuff."

Not only did "Wild On!" provide Burke with on-the-job training hosting a TV show, but it also transported her all over the globe. "It was an amazing show to do," she told QRO. "We covered 40 countries in a short period of time, and more than 100 countries around the world."

It wasn't long after Brooke Burke ended her run on "Wild On!" that another opportunity came along: to appear as a character in a new video game, "Need for Speed: Underground 2," in 2004. Not only did she provide the voice for a key character, but she also performed in front of a green screen so that her likeness could be reproduced in animated form for the game. "I play Rachel, who's the star of the game, and Rachel's basically sexy, confident, very streetwise," she said in a promotional interview. "I mean, fast cars, beautiful girls, adrenaline ... I think this is a game that anyone can enjoy."

Burke also appeared in a public service announcement tied to "Need for Speed: Underground 2," urging gamers to drive cautiously and wear seatbelts in real life. "Playing a racer in the game was a lot of fun, but on the streets, I make sure to drive safely and responsibly," Burke said. "When it comes to racing, make sure you only do it on the streets of 'Underground 2.'"

Nearly two decades later, Burke reflected on the experience in a throwback Instagram post, displaying an image of her character in the game. "Playing Rachel Teller in 'Need For Speed Underground' was one of the coolest gigs I've had‼️" she gushed in the caption.

By 2005, Brooke Burke was the mother of two, and was in search of a TV gig that didn't require the kind of travel demanded by "Wild On!" That led her to take on her highest-profile TV gig to that point with "Rock Star: INXS," sharing hosting duties with Dave Navarro, Jane's Addiction guitarist and ex-husband of "Baywatch" beauty Carmen Electra. In the CBS reality competition, the members of Australian rock group INXS critiqued the auditions of undiscovered singers vying to become the band's new singer (original frontman Michael Hutchence died in 1997). 

Burke and Navarro returned for a second season, dubbed "Rock Star: Supernova." In that season, singers auditioned to front Supernova, a manufactured supergroup consisting of ex-Guns 'Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, former Black Crowes bassist Johnny Colt, and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. There was not a third season. Looking back, Brooke retained fond memories of her "Rock Star" experience. "It was like going to a rock concert ... at 6 a.m., which was kind of weird," she recalled (via YouTube). "It was celebrating outside talent, not making fun of anybody ... it was just so fun to watch people realize their dreams, and celebrate that."

A few years later, Burke hosted a different kind of TV talent competition when she was hired for the third season of "She's Got the Look," in which women over the age of 35 aspired to become models.

Brooke Burke had undertaken an array of extreme activities during her years on "Wild On!" It wasn't until 2008, however, that she was able to tick ballroom dancing off her bucket list when she competed on "Dancing with the Stars." Partnered with pro dancer Derek Hough, the pair became fan favorites and emerged as that season's winners. 

Burke's experience with "DWTS" did not end after taking home the coveted mirrorball trophy; in 2010, she was tapped to become the show's co-host, replacing Samantha Harris. As Variety noted, she reportedly beat out Melissa Rycroft, Vanessa Lachey, and Spice Girls alum Mel B for the job.

For the next few years, Burke co-hosted the show alongside Tom Bergeron. In 2014, shortly before the start of the 18th season, she revealed that she wouldn't be returning. "I've seen my fair share of shocking eliminations in the ballroom but this one takes the cake," she said in a statement to E! News, implying that she'd been pushed out. Nearly a decade later, she confirmed that she was fired. "I think it was really disappointing. I wasn't expecting it," she said while appearing on "Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone" (via People). While she recognized that change is pretty much a constant in the world of television, being axed from the show still stung. "I think that kind of change is always a bummer," she mused.

Brooke Burke's entrepreneurial spirit has been on display throughout her career. Back in 2008, she launched Baboosh Baby, offering an array of products to new moms, including the signature product: belly wraps designed to tighten up the midsection after pregnancy. She also began blogging on her company's website, which led her to discover a site called Modern Mom. She and business partner Lisa Rosenblatt wound up joining the site, with Burke becoming its co-CEO. "This was the perfect vehicle for us to connect with moms everywhere and create the new ModernMom.com — the online community for the woman behind the mom," she wrote in a brief essay introducing her new role. 

Another of Burke's business ventures took her out of the mom lane while hearkening back to her early days modeling sexy undergarments for Frederick's of Hollywood: IntiMINT, her own line of lingerie for the MINT group, which included fashion lines from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bilson, Jessica Simpson, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.

Among her offerings were bandeau-style strapless bras meant to be exposed beneath other layers of clothing, and casual clothing that she envisioned could be worn by the pool, running errands, or just lounging around the house. "I like the practicality and financial sensibility of loungewear that can be worn for all of these activities," she told Elle. "I think women want to buy something and be able to do different things with it."

With the publication of her first book, "The Naked Mom," Brooke Burke added a new entry to her résumé — author. Subtitled "A Modern Mom's Fearless Revelations, Savvy Advice, and Soulful Reflections," the book shared her hard-won advice to fellow mothers while offering a peek behind the curtain at her life. She also opened up about going through a divorce and then becoming a mom in a blended family. "I'm convinced that every Brady in the Bunch had to have been smoking crack," she wrote, as excerpted by HuffPost.

One goal in "The Naked Mom" was to bust the myth that work-life balance while remaining successful at both is actually achievable. "Balance is bull, it's about managing chaos," she told HuffPost, admitting she'd had a whirlwind year juggling her Modern Mom website, hosting "Dancing with the Stars," and then promoting her book. "I love what I do professionally. I love being a mother," she explained. "I'm so lucky, the kids travel with me and I can take them to work, but I'm not willing to lose my sense of self." 

She followed that up in 2016 by co-writing a book for the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series, titled "The Joy of Less." A paean to decluttering one's life, Burke told "Good Morning America" that simplification doesn't just apply to one's surroundings. "It's not just the material possessions, it's about learning how to say 'no,' it's about not being overly scheduled," Burke explained.

Brooke Burke was hit with a frightening health scare in 2012, which she revealed to fans in a video she posted on her Modern Mom website. As CBS News reported, Burke divulged that she had a nodule on her thyroid. That led to further testing, resulting in a diagnosis of thyroid cancer. "I need to have thyroid surgery and a thyroidectomy, which means I'm going to have a nice big scar right here across my neck," she said. Admitting she'd been grappling with the news for the past few months, she told fans that she was remaining positive. "I'm going to fight through this," she said. "And as crazy as it is, my head is in the right place. It's going to be good."

She underwent the surgery and has been cancer-free ever since. "They took it out, it's gone, and it's all good," she said in a 2014 interview with Shape (via ABC News). 

Looking back at her brush with cancer in 2023, Burke told Fox News that she's always taken a holistic, whole-body approach to sustaining both her physical and mental health, and believed her healthy diet and regular exercise contributed to her healing process. "I understand my body, I understand all those signs and symptoms. And I just have to maintain a healthy lifestyle," she said. "So all the things that I do for both my mental wellness and physical wellness go hand-in-hand."

Brooke Burke's first two marriages didn't last. In 2001, she married plastic surgeon Dr. Garth Fisher, only to divorce in 2005. She next began dating "Baywatch" actor David Charvet, with the two getting engaged in 2006 — while also announcing they were expecting a baby together. In 2007, they welcomed daughter Heaven Rain, joining Burke's two children from her first marriage, Neriah and Sierra Sky. They had a son in 2008, Shaya Braven, raising all four of her kids under one roof as one big blended family.

Charvet became her second husband in 2011, tying the knot in a secret wedding in St. Barts. Sadly, that union also didn't stand the test of time. They split up in 2018, with Burke filing for divorce after seven years of marriage. "Although I believe this is a positive change, I am deeply saddened because I loved being married," she wrote in a blog post for Modern Mom, via People.

As People reported, the exes agreed to share custody of their children, with neither paying any child support to the other. In 2021, she got engaged for a third time, to real estate developer Scott Rigby. Interviewed by People in the summer of 2024, Burke revealed that she and Rigby had been tentatively planning to wed earlier that year, but they were just too busy. "We hoped to get married in May," she observed, "and May came and went quickly."

Fitness has been a key component of Brooke Burke's life since she was a kid, and she combined her entrepreneurship with her love of exercise for an exciting new venture. As an entry on her website explained, Burke had long been posting photos and videos of her workout routines on social media. To meet the demand she was feeling from her followers, she launched Brooke Burke Body, an app that features various "stackable" workout programs that range in length from five to 30 minutes. "I know there are a million reasons not to work out. It's often difficult to carve out the time," Burke said in a statement. "The shorter workouts mean spending less time working out, yet getting better results. Time will no longer be an excuse."

Having reinvented herself as a fitness guru in middle age, Burke had a key fitness recommendation for women in their 50s: pumping iron. "What I found, I'm in my 50s, no one prepared us for menopause and said, 'Learn how to weight train,'" she told Fox News. "The reason we need to weight train is for bone density. It's bone health, osteoporosis," she added, noting that lifting weights can boost the metabolism while also contributing to added strength. "It allows you to develop more coordination so we can do other things."

Brooke Burke threw her hat into the podcasting arena in 2019 with the debut of "Intimate Knowledge." With a focus on sex, the podcast partnered Burke with "The Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King Edmonds, and intimacy expert/relationship coach Lila Darville.  

As Burke told People, she saw a real need for a podcast addressing the kind of issues they were planning to discuss. "I think it's a delicate subject matter when you start thinking about sex," she said. "I think it's a subject that needs to come to life." According to Burke, she and her co-hosts would tackle these hot-button topics without holding back, insisting that nothing would be kept off-limits, and they'd all be sharing their own personal experiences. "It's about life and love and intimacy and relationships, and sex and orgasms and you know, all of it," she explained.

King Edmonds agreed, telling the outlet that "Intimate Knowledge" would be as informative for its hosts as it would for its listeners. "It's all explorative," she said. "And we're all just trying to figure it out, this game of life, right?"

Brooke Burke returned to television in 2023 when she was tapped to host The CW's "Penn & Teller: Fool Us." Burke joined the show in its 10th season, taking over for the show's original host, former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Alyson Hannigan, best known for playing Willow Rosenberg on the beloved cult hit. In the show, some of the world's top stage magicians perform their most mind-boggling illusions for the titular duo, famed magic act Penn & Teller, who then try to figure out how they were able to pull it off.

For Burke, hosting the show proved to be, well, magical. "I've done so many different things as a host [and] they proposed the opportunity and — I love magic, I believe in magic and I thought this would be a really exciting show to work on," she gushed during an interview with People. In fact, Burke admitted that nobody was more surprised than her by how much she wound up enjoying the experience. "I didn't realize how much fun it was going to be," she added. "It was literally like going to a magic show every day."