Cheryl Burke
Gossip

When Jennifer Love Hewitt is not whispering to ghosts, she's standing up for those in Hollywood accused of being overweight.

That's why the actress couldn't help but speak out on the recent Dancing with the Stars weight controversy that has befallen Cheryl Burke and Lacey Schwimmer.

"Cheryl Burke is so beautiful and an amazing dancer and that's what people should concentrate on," Hewitt said yesterday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Hewitt, of course, is no stranger to criticism over her body. After an unflattering bikini picture of the star surfaced last year, she went public with support of women who don't qualify as a size zero.

"I was happy with myself in those photos, and I'm still happy," the actress said.

Dancing With the Stars' Cheryl Burke is a fine-looking woman.

She's also an athletic woman - making her living as a dancer. So you can imagine her reaction to recent critics who claim she's gotten fat.

"I was like, maybe I should just starve myself for four weeks just so people would shut up," she said on Friday's Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"But at the end of the day ... I'm an athlete. I like to eat, I like to work out, and I like to feel healthy, and I feel healthy."

Cheryl Burke is hot. But Earlier this week, Dancing with the Stars Season Six contestant Louis Van Amstel - and dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy - both spoke out, negatively, about her weight gain as well as that of newcomer Lacey Schwimmer.

"Criticizing a woman's weight ... is just a wrong statement to make ... for women, and it's dangerous," Cheryl Burke said.

"You don't have to be a size zero to be beautiful," she added. "In the world that I live in right now, you don't have to be skin and bones. You can be healthy and beautiful, and you need to accept that about yourself and feel secure about it."

When Burke admitted that she is a "size four in a dress," DeGeneres praised her: "That is a normal body and that's what most people - if they're lucky - look like. I think most people would probably trade you for that body."

Both Cheryl Burke and Lacey Schwimmer are still alive on this season of Dancing with the Stars.

Still, former co-star and professional dancer Louis van Amstel says the two women are too fat for the competition. Seriously!

"If you want to gain weight, it's your prerogative," van Amstel says in the newest issue of TV Guide. "[People] look at this show to be inspired and think, 'If I just work hard enough, I can look like that...' If they watch someone who's dancing her butt off and she's still heavy, they can be discouraged. You have to take responsibility."

Wow. How do you really feel, Louis?

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is equally critical of Burke and Schwimmer.

"When I first saw these women this season, I said, 'Guys, you know the camera adds 10 pounds,'" he said. "'You have to do something about this."

Do you think Cheryl Burke and Lacey Schwimmer are overweight?

Kim Kardashian harbors no hard feelings toward anyone on Dancing with the Stars.

Despite being voted off the show two weeks ago, the reality TV star recently spent a night on the town with past winner Kristi Yamguchi and current professional Cheryl Burke.

First, Kardashian and Burke attended Yamaguchi's skating event at USC. After the show, the pair stopped by Mr. Chow's for a serving of gourmet chinese food.

Forget the Rumba and the Cha Cha.

It appears as though Dancing with the Stars professionals and Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Cheryl Burke and practicing the Horizontal Mambo together.

The rumored new couple was spotted holding hands, snuggling and possessing far more chemistry than Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas on the dance floor...

Cheryl Burke owns Dancing with the Stars.

The two-time champ â€" she's won with celebrity partners Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith â€" is going for another disco-ball trophy with new partner Ian Ziering of Beverly Hills 90210 fame.

Meanwhile, pro dancer has also been basking in her new relationship with actor Matthew Lawrence, the brother of her fellow season 3 competitor Joey Lawrence. Burke took time out from practicing her fancy footwork to talk to People magazine about finding love, becoming a household name and why she feels she's cheating on Emmitt Smith.

How is life with your boyfriend, actor Matthew Lawrence?
Life is great! He's a great, smart, wonderful guy. We started dating at the end of December while I was on the (Dancing with the Stars) tour (with his older brother, Joey Lawrence) and we're having a lot of fun.

Do you feel like you're cheating on Emmitt Smith this season of DWTS?
I do! And Drew, too, because I was on tour with him for the past two months. I just talked to Emmitt a week ago. He called me and he said, "You miss me already, don't you?" And I actually really do miss him. I remember teaching him the basic steps like yesterday. It's been weird to adjust to another man to dance with.

How's your new partner, Ian Ziering, coming along?
He's a fast learner. With choreography he's quick. The first few days was a little rough for him. He gets frustrated because he's a perfectionist. He can be really hard on himself. So I tell him, "Deep breath and let's try again."

* The Hollywood Gossip note: Sounds like the sort of advice Travis Barker is giving Shanna Moakler here.

Do you feel pressure to win again?
I don't think it's pressure. Even after coming in last season after winning with Drew in the second season, it wasn't about, "Oh, I have to win again." It's about who I'm dancing with and making my partner the best dancer he can possibly be.

You've hardly had any time off in between last season and being on tour with DWTS. How's your energy level?
The first week getting back was a shock. I haven't even digested the third season. I feel like I was just working with Emmitt a week ago. It was, "Wow, I can't believe I'm doing this again."

You've become a celebrity thanks to the success of the show. What do your fans say?
I had a marriage proposal â€" I was kind of flattered but freaked out at the same time. I've had a lot of little girls write to me saying that they want to be dancers and that I've inspired them. Just being known for a skill you've worked on your entire life is an amazing feeling.

* The Hollywood Gossip note: That must be how Nicole Richie feels when it comes to not eating.

What do you like to do when you're not dancing?
I spend time with Matt, of course. My schedule for the past year has been work, work, work. I'm just a normal 22-year-old girl who likes to go out, go to movies, have fun, hang out with my friends, get manicures.