Karen Clifton’s got a lot of free time after her unexpected departure from the 2016’s Strictly Come Dancing following Will Young’s exit – but she’s not hanging up her dancing shoes.
In fact the 34-year-old Venzuelan beauty admits stopping dancing, even for a week, would be impossible for her and husband Kevin Clifton, who even turn making dinner into a choreographed routine.
© Photo: PAKaren has been helping husband Kevin prepare for Strictly
"We dance non-stop!" says Karen. "Everywhere we are is a creative space for us, especially our home. Our living room is where we create all of our routines. I work out with the chicken in the kitchen – when I’m cooking. We don’t stop! Even in the shower Kevin’s coming up with dances, and for me it’s the kitchen, when I’m cooking. We dance in our bedroom, our house is one big dance space!"
Now that Karen’s not in the competition, she’s been more available to help her hubby get creative with dances for his partner, Louise Redknapp.
© Photo: BBCKevin is paired with Louise Redknapp
"We help each other out constantly. We usually sit in a room and do our research together and then if he’s working late at night he’ll come into our room and wake me up to practise.
"I mean Kevin is a genius, he has his own things, and Louise is a beautiful dancer, and she’s becoming a really good friend. But because I’ve just left the competition it’s like, ‘Do I help? Do I not help?’ but I try my best to try steps out with Kevin, stuff like that," she says.
In fact Karen, Kevin, Louise and her husband Jamie Redknapp are all becoming close – with Karen and Kevin both making sure they include spouses and families of their dance partners in the Strictly experience.
Karen and Kevin are set to go on tour next year
"These guys are practicing ten hours a day and it takes them away from their families so it’s nice to get the husbands involved in the process. The whole family goes through it. I love Louise, we all went out with Frankie Bridge for Kevin’s birthday. I love her and she’s so sweet I just want to hug her all the time!"
While coming out of the competition at such an early stage wasn’t something that Karen was anticipating, in actual fact having a little more time to herself is something that’s come in useful for her as she and Kevin prepare for their exciting live tour next spring.
"It’s our little baby that we’re creating, we’re really, really excited," Karen says of the tour which starts on 31 May in Northampton.
© Photo: BBCKaren was paired with Will Young who recently quit the show
Kevin & Karen DANCE will be based on the married couple's life – how they grew up in different countries and their influences while growing up.
"It’s a great bond that you have, being husband and wife and sharing that passion and that’s one of the great things that works so well about us together," says Karen. "Kevin is so energetic, he brings such great presence onto the dance floor. We bring such different styles from our different backgrounds but it tends to work. Some people in the past didn’t believe that it would be able to work but we proved them wrong!"
Tickets for the Kevin and Karen Dance Tour 2017 are now on sale: https://kevinandkarenlive.com
