Strictly's Karen Hauer reflects on the real reason she split with Kevin Clifton

Strictly’s Karen Hauer tells Woman why she’s happier since moving on from Kevin Clifton

Kevin Clifton and Karen Hauer
(Image credit: Getty)

But fast-forward two years and Karen Hauer, 37, has been confirmed to return to the BBC One show, making it her ninth year and with the news that Kevin, 37 – who is dating his 2018 dance partner Stacey Dooley – has stood down, the future is looking up for the Venezuelan dancer.

Not to mention the fact that she’s now loved-up with international opera singer David Webb.

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Karen and Kevin fell in love on live dance show Burn The Floor and later married, but announced they were ending their three-year union in March 2018 after work schedules were said to have put a ‘strain’ on their relationship.

Now, Karen, who has been a dancer for over 30 years, has a new outlook.

She says, ‘My priorities have changed – yes, I love my job but I love coming home, seeing my partner and my fur babies [dogs Betty, Marley and Phoebe], cooking and cuddling – things I wouldn’t do before because it wasn’t a priority.’

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And it’s paying off, as she adds, ‘David and I are both extremely open about how we feel and I’m not afraid to be myself, but I can only do that because I’ve had five years of working on myself and I still am.’

How did Karen Hauer move on?

Karen says that going into therapy and talking to life coach and former Strictly pro Camilla Sacre-Dallerup helped her learn about herself.

Having identified how she often brought past issues into her relationships, she reflects, ‘In a partnership you should be on the same page, really listening to each other. But I didn’t used to do that because I didn’t know how to communicate or listen.

‘Unfortunately that ended my relationships in the past because I didn’t understand what was wrong, why, and what that person wasn’t understanding and vice-versa.’

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Despite her heartbreak, Karen has remained good friends with Kevin, and she says it’s helped her feel ‘liberated’. She tells us, ‘We have a healthy friendship – it’s important to let go of anger and heartbreak because you can move on and that’s what’s helped me.’

She finishes, ‘If I went back to my previous relationships I would say, “I’m sorry if I never listened to you, I’m sorry I was this way and I wasn’t the person who I wanted to be. I just didn’t know how to be me.”’

✱ Interview done prior to the current health crisis. Karen has her own Hauer Power fitness plan, to find out more visit get.karenhauer.fit

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)