After cancer treatment, Brooke Burke-Charvet stays positive about health

Brooke Burke-Charvet has been flying high for the past few years. After winning the seventh season of Dancing With the Stars, she landed a spot as the show’s co-host. Unfortunately, she encountered a pretty serious bump in the road last November when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

The mother-of-four quickly decided to have her thyroid gland removed. As a result of the thyroidectomy, Burke-Charvet must take daily medications for the rest of her life to replace the thyroid’s natural function. Yet, she stayed positive throughout the experience.

“I’m so blessed and fortunate with the way things worked out with my surgery,” Burke-Charvet told People. “Now I’m back in the swing of things.”

For Burke-Charvet, that means working out, eating healthy and setting a good examples for her kids.

“My kids know I’m always working out and I love to cook,” Burke-Charvet said. “I’m always preparing healthy meals. I think it’s also about giving them healthy options, which is so, so important. My little ones, especially, grocery shop with me. They’re in the kitchen. They love to cook.”

She also tries to promote body confidence around her children, Neriah, 12, Sierra, 10, Rain, 6, and Shaya, 4.

“I try to never use words like ‘fat’ or ‘diet,'” she said. “I try to choose my words carefully with my kids. It’s just about making good choices and enjoying what we eat and making delicious flavorful foods that are healthy. I’m just teaching them about being healthy and strong, not about being thin.”