Strictly's Karen Hauer says she knew she was 'losing' Kevin Clifton before split
Strictly's Karen Hauer says she knew she was 'losing' Kevin Clifton before split
Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Hauer has opened up about her split from ex-husband Kevin Clifton, saying she knew she was 'losing' him before they separated
Karen Hauer has opened up about her split from Kevin Clifton
(Image: PA Archive/PA Images )
Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Hauer has opened up about the moment she sensed she was "losing" her ex-husband Kevin Clifton during their marriage.
Karen, 43, first met fellow dancer Kevin, 42, while they performed in Burn The Floor in New York back in 2011. They eventually tied the knot in 2015 after their relationship blossomed.
The couple decided to relocate from the US to the UK in 2012 to pursue opportunities on Strictly Come Dancing. While Karen was recruited as a professional dancer on the show, Kevin initially took on a choreographer role.
Speaking to We Need to Talk with Paul Brunson, Karen revealed that adapting to life on Strictly proved "tough" for the couple. Over time, they found themselves growing apart, but neither wanted to initiate a split.
As a result, they "pretended" to be together for the sake of the show, reports Edinburgh Live.
Karen joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2012
(Image: Getty Images )
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Karen recalled: "I felt that he distanced himself from me but I was probably doing the same because I felt if he didn't want me, I would retreat and give him his space. It was one of those that we're both not talking about it so I'm like, 'Do you want a divorce? Do you want to split up? I don't know what I want to do, what do you want to do? Do you know what I want?', 'I don't know what I want', 'Okay so are we broken up or?'"
Karen revealed the struggles within her relationship, saying: "It took a while actually, it took about a year behind the scenes. In front of the scenes everything was normal."
Karen says she became frustrated "waiting" for Kevin to decide whether they wanted to remain together. It is then she says she "met someone" else.
Although separated from Kevin at that time, Karen shared how she felt unfairly depicted as having cheated on him, which led to Kevin requesting a divorce.
Explaining her mindset during that period, she added: "In my mind, it's almost like something had to happen in order for him to make a decision because I wasn't going to make a decision and pull the plug. Then I tripped and the grenade went off, I pulled the pin."
Karen Hauer and ex Kevin Clifton
(Image: Getty Images )
Shortly before the split, Karen says there was a poignant moment on Strictly that made her realise she was "losing" Kevin. She explained: "There was one number that we did, and it was right before we broke up. It was for Remembrance Day and he was playing a soldier and I was taking the jacket off the table and dancing with it.
She continued, describing how the dance mirrored her personal life with Kevin: "Throughout the dance he comes back and dances with me and goes in and out of my life until I finish dancing with the jacket and placing it back on the table, it was literally I'd lost him and it was the end."
Karen reflected on the emotional performance, saying: "I remember when we finished that, we looked at each other, and we record this in front of an audience as well, so they only give you one or two takes, so you have to get it right, that sentiment. And the sentiment wasn't hard to get into that story because I was experiencing it, because I was losing him."
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The following year, Kevin was paired with Stacey Dooley on Strictly, and their partnership blossomed into romance, confirmed in January 2019. The couple now have a daughter, Minnie, together.
Karen, on the other hand, remarried in 2022, exchanging vows with Jordan Wyn-Jones, but the couple parted ways in 2024.
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