Brooke Burke: naked mom

By Madeleine Marr2/8/2011

Brooke Burke believes she can do it all - and by the looks of it, she can: Juggle a career and four kids, that is. The onetime Maxim cover girl had two (Neriah, 10 and Sierra, 8) with her first husband, plastic surgeon Garth Fisher, and two with former Baywatch star David Charvet (Rain, 3 and Shaya, 2). In her book, The Naked Mom (New American Library), the Dancing with the Stars co-host, 39, lets us in on some of her top family secrets.

Why did you decide to write the book?
I do a blog for Modern Mom and one of the questions that came to me often was about balance. I realized it isn’t about balance. That’s virtually impossible. It’s about taking it day by day. I wanted to share my experiences, my challenges, what I’ve learned, what I’ve screwed up and to do it in a very honest and vulnerable way. Maybe it can inspire other moms to give themselves a break and know that it’s never going to be perfect.

What’s your biggest challenge with raising four kids?
Probably sleep deprivation. I remember having two and three was easy. But four rocked my world. I feel like I haven’t slept for a decade and that’s really hard on a woman. It affects everything, your memory, your sex drive, your energy, your metabolism. It’s a demon.

You say your relationship with your fiancé is good.
David’s great. We’re figuring out that we’re just as important as everybody else in the family. We have a deep love and a lot of chemistry and passion. It takes a lot of work but it works.

What’s the best advice you can give to a harried mom?
Take comfort in that all moms are going through the same thing. If you can’t find a half hour or 45 minutes a couple days of week for yourself, you’re in trouble. You need it to relieve stress, you need it to accomplish your own goals.

What’s the worst mistake a mother can make?
What happens is many women lose themselves when they start raising a family. It’s an ongoing challenge. But you need to take care of your relationship with your partner, too.

How is working for “Dancing with the Stars”?
It’s a glamorous job. I get to leave my house in sweats and dress up as a princess at night and make it home by bedtime. A dream gig.