CHANDI BAYLE 'IT'S OK NOT TO BE OK'

THE AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS STAR GETS REAL ABOUT HER MENTAL HEALTH - AND THE STRENGTH SHE FOUND IN SHARING HER STORY

- Jennie Noonan

Since 1961, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have set the standard on the sidelines of the NFL, becoming as famous for their showstopping dance routines and wince-inducing split jumps performed in star-spangled hot pants as they are for their facade of perky perfection. "It takes a special personality," fourth-year member Amber Gosdin said in an interview with ESPN back in 2004. "You either have that or you don't. It's the ultimate prerequisite. You have to smile, be friendly, be accommodating - all the time. If not, there's no place for you."

In the ensuing decades, fans have been given a grittier glimpse of what it takes to be a bubbly, perky pompom waver, first in Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, a reality series which began in 2006 and ran for 16 seasons, and, more recently, in popular Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. One storyline in Season 2 of the latter focused on the mental health struggles of veteran cheerleader Chandi Dayle who, after six seasons with the team, is promoted to first lead.