Las Vegas Weekly

May 26, 2009 · 6:30 AM

Cheryl Burke salsas on the Strip for her 25th birthday

By Robin Leach

Cheryl Burke and Max Zagorski celebrate Cheryl's 25th birthday at Lavo.

Photo: Isaac Brekken

Two-time Dancing With the Stars winner Cheryl Burke, who finished runner-up with her Sex and the City celebrity partner Gilles Marini on last week’s Season 8 finale, flew to Las Vegas hours after a quick cross-country promo tour to celebrate her 25th birthday.

On her round-trip New York City visit, Cheryl hit Tao in the Big Apple, and the next night hit its Vegas outpost with her boyfriend, model Max Zagorski. She spent the following day playing kissy, kissy and huggy, huggy with him in a private cabana at the Palazzo’s new Azure pool.

Photo: Isaac Brekken

Alec Mazo, Cheryl Burke and Edyta Sliwinska.

For Cheryl’s actual birthday, fellow DWTS professionals and husband and wife Alec Mazo and Edyta Sliwinska flew in with Cheetah Girl and DWTS Season 5 contestant Sabrina Bryan for the celebration at Lavo in the Palazzo. Cheryl enjoyed the Kobe meatballs before being presented with a custom-made cake in the shape of a dancer twirling onstage. Cheryl and Max playfully -- and messily -- fed it to each other to the delight of the group!

I told Cheryl I’d never seen such an amazing dress, a black Herve Leger mini that featured strategically cutout areas from the hem up to the shoulder line! She said it was her favorite for dinner, but then changed into another favorite, a turquoise dress by Blush for dancing. Girls and their costume changes! The group danced at Lavo until 3 a.m.!

Photo: TVT

Cheryl Burke.

Cheryl told me she’ll be back this fall on the top-rated ABC series, and she’s hoping this coming Season 9 to capture a third title.

“We missed it by less than 1 percent in the voting. It was the narrowest, tightest win of all eight seasons,” she said about the narrow loss to Olympic gymnast and gold medalist Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas, who is now a two-time winner alongside Julianne Hough and Cheryl. Click HERE for our season finale story and photo gallery.

Photo: TVT

Cheryl Burke and Robin Leach.

Edyta and Alec finished their weekend with a backstage visit to DWTS champion Kelly Monaco after watching Peepshow, co-starring Kelly, in Planet Hollywood. Kelly won Season 1 partnered with Alec!

Meantime, Las Vegas dance instructor Tony Delgado, who hosts many of the DWTS professionals and celebrity contestants at his Summerlin studio here, tells me that he’ll present two more live “Las Vegas Dancing With the Stars” shows next season. He also celebrates the studio’s third anniversary June 20!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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